This report continues for a second-year analysis of progress made in implementing Illinois State Board of Higher Education policy on secondary education requirements for college admission and improving undergraduate education in Illinois. In particular this report examines the preparation of students for college and their achievement in their…

This publication explores the relationship between state systemic reform initiatives and state student assessment programs using a database established by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory and interviews with state assessment directors in California, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Texas, and Vermont. States throughout the country are…

Statistical data are presented from Texas institutions of higher education, including both public and independent universities; medical, dental, and allied health units; junior colleges; and technical institutes. The scope of the data includes: (1) student enrollments from 1985-1989, enrollment by ethnic origin and sex, resident and nonresident…

A North Carolina study examined the problem of adult illiteracy in Spring 1988. Secondary data for the service areas of eight community colleges chosen as study sites indicated that approximately 25 percent of North Carolinans aged 25 years and older had completed less than the ninth grade in 1980 and the majority of them were unemployed. A review…

In September 1990, the Commission on Work Force Excellence was established to increase Mississippi's economic competitiveness and improve worker opportunities. The commission sponsored an evaluation of the diverse enterprise of the state's secondary and postsecondary vocational education system. Eight findings resulted from the study. First, the…

This guide, designed for limited-English-speaking native Portuguese-speaking parents in California and presented in both Portuguese and English versions, is a general reference about the California State educational system. Sections address the following topics in question-and-answer format: matriculation, general information, and transportation;…

This report, fourth in an annual series, presents information about the status of public schools in Rhode Island. Three types of indicators are provided: (1) education outcomes; (2) community context; and (3) policies and practices. Education outcomes include results of student testing on the Metropolitan Achievement Test and other measures of…

Since the mid-1970s, at least 20 states have instituted standardized tests that must be passed before students can receive a high school diploma. This paper draws on data collected in four states to explore some of the lasting effects of competency test legislation. Of particular interest is student awareness of these tests. A survey of 733…

A project assessed current counseling activities, services, and programs in grades 7 and 8 that address vocational interest and aptitude assessment for handicapped and disadvantaged students. Staff developed a description of vocational assessment instruments available to public schools and a guide for interpreting and using vocational assessment…

The four sections of this report use text, graphs, and tables to present the status of Oregon programs providing special education, compensatory education, student services, early childhood education, and special projects. The first section, on special education, provides the mission statement and the state's goals for special education and then…

The first part of a two-part manual, this guide emphasizes how migrant counselors administer their duties, procedures to follow and functional aids to employ in working with migrant secondary students. Divided into four sections, the guide is intended to help experienced and inexperienced counselors and to provide administrators and teachers with…

Results of the seventh year of testing by the Pupil Assessment Program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1982, objective-referenced tests in science, mathematics, and geometry were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, 11, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests…

This study investigates the responses of teachers in Texas to a state-mandated pupil testing program. Based on literature reviewed, it was expected that effects of the mandated tests would relate to teacher burnout and account for differences in teachers' feelings of control over curricular, teaching, and professional decisions. The responses of…

In 1987, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges initiated a three and one-half year evaluation of the statewide matriculation program, a legislatively mandated effort to assist community college students in identifying and achieving their educational goals. This report evaluates the implementation of matriculation during the…

Gender differences in achievement were studied in five academic areas: (1) vocabulary; (2) language usage; (3) reading; (4) mathematics problem solving; and (5) using sources of information. Standardized achievement test scores for a sample of 3,002 students (1,642 females and 1,360 males) who were tested in each of 10 consecutive years, grades 3…