Practical considerations associated with local norms development are discussed. A local norming project administering the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised to 398 elementary Mexican--American children is presented in detail. The utility of local norms and their interpretation is discussed in the context of this local project. (Author/BW)

This "Technical Guide" describes the methodology and concepts used to measure and grade the performance of the 50 states in the higher education arena. Part I presents the methodology for grading states and provides information on data collection and reporting. Part II explains the indicators that comprise each of the graded categories.…

Using data from the 1993 and 2003 Fall Staff Surveys, a component of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), this report examines the change in the number and composition of staff in U.S. postsecondary institutions and the change in average salaries of full-time staff between fall 1993 and fall 2003. Over the decade, the…

This paper presents a number of arguments for the increased importance of within-state district-level data in systematic assessments in the organizational structure of schools as educational institutions. The major question is whether the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) should shift its focus toward more macro-institutional district level…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is an integrated system of surveys of public and private schools, school districts, school administrators, and teachers conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This collection contains papers related to the SASS presented at meetings of the American Statistical Association in August…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection effort of the National Center for Education Statistics that collects and publishes data on the condition of education in the United States. The NHES is designed to provide information on issues that are best addressed by contacting households rather than institutions. It is a…

Multiple discrimination problems were presented concurrently to retarded children for 1, 2, 4, or 8 massed trials a day for a total of 16 trials per problem. (Editor)

Paper demonstrates that the standardized reading test scores of test-naive second-grade students can be significantly raised through instruction and practice in content-independent test-taking techniques. (Author)

An examination of student evaluation of course quality showed student evaluation to be the most powerful input variable. Lecturer and textbook evaluation had significant effects on whether the student would recommend the course to others. The quality of instruction in introductory courses has impact on future enrollment plans. (Author/MLW)

Provides an OEAGLS (Oceanic Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools) activity showing how biological sampling can be taught using acquatic examples in a "dry lab." The activity, requiring use of mathematical/observational skills, simulates a plankton sample and stimulates discussions of how environmental/human factors can cause…

The university is seen as a major political socialization environment that engenders feelings of academic disaffection among students. A study, based on a survey of students enrolled at three midwestern universities in 1974, investigates the antecedents and consequences of felt academic disaffection for students. (Author/MLW)

Electricity conservation programs were implemented in matched pairs of office-classroom-laboratory buildings and dormitories. The methodological problems of predicting consumption levels, interpreting why changes in consumption occurred, and estimating initial waste levels are discussed along with their implications for the conduct of behavioral…

Subjective norms account for a significant, albeit small, proportion of unique variance in intentions. To explore the hypothesis that this effect can be explained largely by individual differences in the degree to which people are apt to be more under normative control, subjects were asked to indicate their intentions, attitudes, and subjective…

Examines the timing of partners' talk in mother-infant engagements over infant age to determine whether variations occur in the incidence of the alternating mode. Findings reflect the facilitative effects of covocalization in preverbal infants and the need for the alternating mode with older infants. (31 references) (Author/CK)

Discussion of management of cataloging backlogs in academic libraries focuses on a backlog assessment project conducted at the Ohio State University libraries to facilitate the elimination of two backlogs, one of Slavic language materials and one of general materials. Evaluations of samples from these two collections are discussed in terms of…