This study compares the inquiry competence of the 8th-grade students participating in the science and environmental education program GLOBE in the Czech Republic with a sample of students of the same age not participating in the program from the Slovak and Czech Republics. Inquiry competence is analyzed as a set of variables representing students'…

This study is based on the creation of a theoretical tool for determining competencies and knowledge in science education which stakeholders value as necessary for students to become productive members of the future work force as well as responsible citizens. Stakeholders' opinions (N = 85) were gathered from persons in different walks of life by…

In a survey of 51 state science supervisors, 93 percent of the supervisors who replied said that state-wide minimum-competency testing did not assess science learning. (BB)

Describes a competency assessment system developed for use with preservice and inservice teachers and reports the reliability and validity of the instrument. Presents data from a tryout of the assessment system with a group of preservice science teachers. (CS)

Argues that high-stakes testing is inconsistent with the National Science Education Standards' goals regarding what students are taught about the nature and purposes of science. (Contains 23 references.) (Author)

This article describes results for students with mild disabilities who participated in the Kansas science assessment involving cooperative groups. Individual achievement, attitude, and project scores were consistent with expectations in relation to results for general education students. The study did not find that participation of students with…

Mastery learning can combine the strengths of direct instruction with the strengths of discovery learning. This paper describes how mastery learning is being used in Missouri schools to enhance the quality of instruction in science at all grade levels. In addition, the dramatic results in student science achievement that have occurred within the…

In an effort to improve the science education program in the Washington School District (Phoenix, Arizona) the school system focused its efforts in the 1983-84 school year on the development of an activity oriented laboratory science program for grades 4-6. This document describes the plan for implementing that program. The implementation…

The Competency-based Middle School Program (grades 6-8) and the Competency-based Secondary School Project (grades 9-11) were funded by the South Carolina State Department of Education under the Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV-C. These programs were to provide instruction based on the principles of mastery learning in helping middle…

This paper assesses the credibility of a single total instrument score and various logical sub-scores derived from a series of summative judgments about the quality of teaching performance. The objectives were to compare the generalizability of alternative Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument (TPAI) scores, to compare the dependability of…

Results for the Spring 1989 Delaware Educational Assessment Program are presented. The assessment involved the administration of a newly normed test--the Stanford Achievement Test, Eighth Edition--to approximately 65,000 public school students in grades 1 through 8 and 11 during the period extending from April 5 through 18, 1989. Among other…

This report contains state-by-state information on educational policies related to science and mathematics education at the elementary and secondary levels. The information was collected through the cooperation of the State Network on Science/Mathematics Indicators, which includes professional staff in each state department of education. The…