Public schools stress the need for students to become informed and engaged citizens, however social studies instruction is becoming marginalized in many elementary schools today, the very area where they learn citizenship and about the world around them. This study seeks to: understand the reason for the loss of instructional time for social…

Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

THIS RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM PROVIDED FOR NINE REGIONAL MEETINGS FOR STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERSONNEL WHO WERE ASSOCIATED WITH EVALUATION RESEARCH SECTIONS OF PROPOSALS FROM LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR FUNDS UNDER PUBLIC LAW 89-10 (ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965). THE MEETINGS WERE STAFFED BY FOUR-MAN TEAMS OF CONSULTANTS…

Examples from the evaluation of a program in which data collection systems were developed jointly by the program's staff and evaluators are described. The Louisiana SPUR (Special Plan Upgrading Reading) Project was evaluated by the Louisiana Department of Education Bureau of Evaluation. SPUR involves 63 of the state's 66 public school systems and…

This paper examines the effect of a formal evaluation process upon educational change--specifically, the adoption of innovative reading programs and practices--at different organizational levels of implementation. Because of the size of the project (62 school systems, 142 designated schools, three sets of categorical funded projects), the…

This study compared scores on the Indiana Statewide Test for Educational Progress (ISTEP) for students who received implementation of the Shurley Method program with those of students who did not receive the program. The Shurley method, developed by B. Shurley, is a language skills teaching method aimed at students of all learning styles that…

The bond that links quality assessment and effective teaching is clarified for North Carolina teachers in the context of the state's continued emphasis on effective schooling. This manual begins a statewide effort to promote assessment literacy among educators. It is emphasized that no single type of assessment can meet all of the purposes of…

The impacts of the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) and the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) on curriculum, classroom instruction and assessment, professional development, and student learning were studied. Data sources were questionnaires completed by principals, mathematics teachers, and students from 90 elementary and…

Studied beyond students' failing scores on a state reading assessment to investigate the needs of struggling students and implications for policy. Results for 108 students in 17 elementary schools suggest that scores on state tests mask distinctive and multifaceted patterns of students'reading abilities that require dramatically different…

A review of the status and activities of foreign language instruction in Florida elementary schools discusses languages taught (primarily Spanish); state funding and school district programs; teacher certification; and preservice teacher education and methods courses. (CB)

A study of thirteen exemplary compensatory education projects in Elementary Education (nine in reading, four in mathematics) in the State of New York is described in this report. The study, which was designed to investigate and describe specific educational practices so that they could be replicated in other schools, found ten major factors which…

The Michigan accountability system, based on statewide objectives-referenced testing at two grade levels generated considerable controversy, including this response to criticisms of an evaluation of the program by a panel of three persons. The contract under which the evaluation was performed is quoted to show that the authors of the report were…

In many instances, the promotion of educational assessments has been viewed as a threat to some groups. Carefully conceived operational and analysis plans for state assessment may have little impact unless the purposes of assessment are clear and diffusion and utilization of information are well planned. Equally important is the provision of…

The Alaska Statewide Assessment Test is administered to fourth and eighth graders every two years in reading and mathematics. Assessment Report 7 describes how the assessment process works, analyzing results, test content, results for 1983, and statewide average scores. A question-answer format is used to discuss the following: (1) Was students'…

This handbook is for use by content area teachers in grades three through six who want to help students improve their comprehension of both oral and written language. The first three chapters discuss the nature of comprehension and establish the general philosophical framework for the strategies and activities that make up the major portion of the…