Assessment exercises (items) in three different formats--multiple-choice with an "I don't know" (IDK) option, multiple-choice without the IDK, and open-ended--were placed at the beginning, middle and end of 45-minute assessment packages (instruments). A balanced incomplete blocks analysis of variance was computed to determine the biasing…

A representative sample of about 2,500 third-graders took the Cultural Arts Test, a perception survey which was part of the 1973-74 State Assessment of Educational Progress in North Carolina. The test dealt with students' perceptions of their own competence, interests, preferences, and happiness in the cultural arts; of their teachers. and…

Career education became a force for educational change in 1971 when the federal government provided the initiative and "seed" money to develop career education models in each state. The response of school systems and its implications are explored in this article. The first section focuses on the definition of career education as an…

Under the California Assembly Bill 665 of 1972, the state assessment program must test all students in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 in reading skills, and those in grades 6 and 12 to assess their skills in effectiveness of written expression, spelling, and mathematics. The state may develop its own tests, and a matrix sampling approach may be used…

The purpose of Project PRIMES (progress research in meeting elementary standards) is three-fold: to design and test a model for evaluating elementary schools by state standards, to develop a set of evaluation instruments, and to aid teachers and administrators in the application and interpretation of evaluation procedures. The project's major…

Six hundred thirty-three students from Western Michigan University answered a 46-item questionnaire concerning their attutides on such matters as living conditions, curriculum, community relations, faculty-staff relations, careers, and interpersonal relations. Respondents were divided into three groups: (1) the experimental group, consisting of…

On an optical scanning survey form listing 66 basic mathematics skills, all secondary vocational teachers in Pennsylvania were asked to identify mathematical skills essential to success and skills in need of remediation for their specialties. Of 4,839 forms sent out, data from 3,404 yielded the 122 tables (121 pages) of findings arranged according…

On the basis of a reevaluation of earlier data, doubts are raised about how much economically-disadvantaged children have learned from the educational television series, Sesame Street, and whether the program is widening the gap that separates the academic achievement of disadvantaged pre-schoolers from that of their more affluent counterparts.…

What is the current financial condition of Illinois independent colleges and universities? What changes have occurred in the past five years, and what are the prospects for the immediate future? Have independent colleges and universities been able to maintain or improve quality in the past five years? What has been the impact of state programs to…

The 1972-73 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) provided information on 22 measures of students and schools. While some of the data were gathered in routine Michigan Department of Education reports, student performance data were gathered using the Michigan Assessment of Basic Skills battery, Form VMT during January 1973. The battery…

The California State Department of Education and 33 California school districts contributed articles to this compendium focusing on the assessment of educational needs. It is noted that a crucial stage in the development of effective programs for pupils, as well as for requesting State and Federal funds, is the assessment of educational needs. A…

This booklet is intended to stimulate sharing of ideas and successful kindergarten programs among Individually Guided Education (IGE) schools. Four selected schools which have integrated kindergarten into a nongraded approach to education are described in terms of organization, the different curricula followed, the kinds of assessment used, and…

Over the past number of years, there has been a great amount of concentrated study, with an equal amount of literature, devoted to the small school in the United States. This paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of small rural schools via a literature review. Although primarily concerned with identifying the small school's alleged strengths…

Reactions to attitude items from the first national assessment of music expressed by a panel of music educators during a two-day conference on implications of the entire assessment are reproduced in this report. The panel states that aesthetic sensitivity is the ultimate goal of music education; however, the attitude items in the assessment do not…

This paper briefly discusses relevant issues related to teacher education in New York State from a viewpoint consistent with the purpose of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in New York State (AACTE/NYS). The introduction describes the purpose of the AACTE/NYS and states that teacher education should be multiform rather…