Northwest Evaluation Association regularly conducts studies of alignment between the RIT scale and the scales used for statewide achievement tests. In recent years, educational experts have put increasing emphasis on the need for triangulation of student achievement information in order to assure that important educational decisions are based on…

This methodological report documents the design, development, and psychometric characteristics of the assessment instruments used in the third grade data collection of the ECLS-K. The instruments examined include those developed to measure cognitive and socioemotional development. In addition, issues in analyzing longitudinal measures are…

This book articulates a process by which schools and districts can design their own standards-based system of education and provides models for implementing standards-based education. Chapter 1 describes the history of and impetus for the standards movement. Chapter 2 addresses such issues as: Where will the standards come from? What type of…

This paper examines the implementation of an alternate block (A/B) schedule in three high schools in Irving, Texas. The purpose is to review how time was used in 48 randomly selected high school Algebra 1, Biology 1, English 2, and U.S. History classes. Of the 48 classes, 12 observations were conducted for each course. The findings revealed a…

Recognition is increasing that Ph.D. graduates require transferable skills for employment within or outside academia, and professional written communication skills form an important subset which contributes to many other skill categories. Writing journal articles for publication is a key task within candidatures and research workplaces, so…

This study, adopting an action-learning approach, aimed to redesign an existing problem-based learning (PBL) subject curriculum to accommodate the learning potential and interests of students. Based on students' perceptions of learning and learning experiences with PBL, a Subject Planning Team (SPT) consisting of both students and teachers was…

Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency (AELP), linguistic analyses of standards, classroom discourse, and textbooks have led to specifications for assessment of AELP. The test development process described here is novel due to the emphasis on using linguistic profiles to inform the …

The purpose of this study was to describe elementary preservice teachers' difficulties with understanding algebraic generalizations that were set in an authentic context. Fifty-eight preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course participated in the study. These students explored and practiced with authentic, hands-on…

This report presents the results of a study of eighth-grade science teaching, conducted as part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study. The Video Study is a supplement to the TIMSS 1999 student assessment, a successor to the TIMSS 1995 student assessment. The TIMSS 1999 Video Study had the broad purpose…

This is the fourth in a series of reports evaluating the Public Library Statistics (PLS) program, an annual census of public libraries in the United States. The census includes, in addition to a full count of public libraries and their outlets, a variety of statistics about the services provided by and, the financial condition and the staffing…

Holistic education attempts to bring education into alignment with the fundamental realities of nature. This book argues for adopting a holistic educational curriculum. Chapter 1 offers a rationale for and description of holistic education. Chapter 2 reviews the philosophic contexts of the transmission and transaction positions--atomism and…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics, which has the legislative mission of collecting and publishing data on the condition of education in the United States. The NHES provides information on educational issues that are best addressed by contacting households…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is a periodic, integrated system of sample surveys on elementary and secondary schools in the United States that collects information on school and district administrators and teachers in public and private schools. This technical report is one in a series of methodological studies relating to the SASS of the…

At Golden College (California), student writing samples are holistically scored by pairs of judges on a six-point scale. Judges are allowed to use plus and minus figures, thus converting the integer scale to a decimal scale of evaluation. In 1991, 499 writing samples written as part of the placement testing process for students in the Coast…

Information for the 1986-87 school year presented in this fifth annual report on microcomputer use for 1,178 public and private K-12 schools in Louisiana indicates that, overall, 92% of the schools are using computers for instruction or other purposes. Detailed survey results are presented in 15 data tables, which show: (1-2) the number and…