A Performance Report for Use in Driver Education Evaluation

About the report:

In an attempt to analyze the various driver education programs taught in the state and the methods used for reporting on their effectiveness, researchers developed a new data acquisition system that monitored student performance. The reporting system detailed in this document is the result of this effort and is designed to be used by the State Department of Education and local school divisions in evaluating driver education programs used throughout the state. The Curriculum Guide for Driver Education in Virginia, the textbooks used, and the Division of Motor Vehicles conviction codes and their relevant sections in the Code of Virginia were reviewed. The 247 separate conviction codes were aligned into 17 categories based on driver education text materials and the Curriculum Guide for Driver Education in Virginia. The concept behind these new groupings was to tie together types of driving errors with classroom and in-car instruction. A computer software system designed to produce a variety of statistical reports for use by educators and administrators was also developed. The reporting format distinguishes among the types of schools, as well as the types of programs taught. The reporting format also categorizes crash and conviction data according to three driver experience levels (less than 1 year of driving experience, 1 to 2 years, and 2 to 3 years). Reports will be produced which use statewide data and others will be specifically tailored either for an entire school division or for an individual school. The system enables the evaluation of the effectiveness of instructional programs and also provides the opportunity for each school division to compare the driving performances of their students with those of all students in the state. Variations, whether positive or negative can be investigated to determine factors which can be improved upon or promoted. The State Department of Education can also use the system to provide information on the successes in one locality to school officials in other localities.

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