This paper describes two case studies of testing programs at local levels. The work was conducted as part of the Assessment Development and Use component of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's (NWREL) Assessment and Development project. Two school districts were recruited to participate in this effort--McMinnville, Oregon, and Kyrene,…

The Center for Educational Policy and Management at the University of Oregon has developed a professional development term for improving teaching skills of secondary school teachers. The content of the program has been drawn from two major categories of instructional research: (1) classroom management and organizational strategies that promote and…

The family of Weibull distributions was investigated as a model for the distributions of response times for items in computer-based criterion-referenced tests. The fit of these distributions were, with a few exceptions, good to excellent according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. For a few relatively simple items, the two-parameter gamma…

Eighth grade students, randomly assigned to three criterion performance levels, studied matrix algebra in three programed lessons. Student achievement, ability, time spent, and other measures were obtained; and minimal variance criterion performance levels, analogous to production isoquants, were attained. A Cobb-Douglas (log-linear) function was…

As part of an educational reform in the Netherlands, teachers were required to implement models of adaptive instruction, including group-based mastery learning. It was expected that mastery learning would raise achievement and reduce differences in achievement among children of different social classes and between girls and boys. In 1987, students…

This annotated bibliography comprises 13 items in the ERIC system concerning improving teacher effectiveness. Items cited discuss strategies including an objectives-based instructional program combined with mastery learning, teacher self-assessment techniques, administrators' role in helping teachers adopt more effective practices, improving…

The continuing theme of these conferences is: "Reading, the Process of Creating Meaning for Sensed Stimuli." The special theme of this 1983 anniversary conference is: "Reading Reading: 50th Anniversary Perspectives." The proceedings in this yearbook reflect the retrospective and prospective emphasis of the special theme.…

The effect of the Mississippi Performance-Based Accreditation Model on operations in a local school district is examined. Specifically, this report describes the Tupelo, Mississippi school district's experience in producing improved pupil learning. The Mississippi accreditation paradigm is prescriptive. It is an evaluation driven system capable of…

In serving two purposes, this paper explores elements in the current gap between what is known and what is practiced about how to influence student achievement and proposes a conceptual framework and an action model for rethinking the organization, management, and technologies of instructional programs. A comprehensive goal-based and role-based…

The program of the 1981 Appalachia Educational Laboratory Forum was based on the theme of improving schools and using research and development. The first section of this report contains summaries of presentations made at the forum. In the first presentation, a discussion is given on outcome-based education, the merits and drawbacks of mastery…

A study was conducted to determine whether conventional instruction and mastery-based auto-tutorial instruction interacted with learning characteristics that were found to be instruction-interactive in previous research. Conventional instruction consisted of lecture with discussion and laboratory periods. The mastery-based auto-tutorial…

The monograph presents seven papers which challenge the extent to which experiential backgrounds are used in the context of the school's teaching-learning process. The first paper discusses mind sets, multi-cultural variants and mastery learning, maintaining that many minority students are victims of educational mind sets. Next, past and present…

The independent study Math Resource Center (MRC) program at Lane Community College offers seven courses on an "open-entry/open-exit" basis: Math 1, 2, and 3; Elementary, Intermediate, and College Algebra; and Dosage Computation. Students may enroll at any time, learn at their own rate, and leave class when they have developed their…

A description of open and individualized elementary school instruction is provided. The goals of such instruction are to: 1) teach basic skills in language arts, math, science, and social studies; 2) develop higher cognitive abilities, such as problem solving; and 3) develop the child's social competence and self-concept. Open, individualized…

This monograph discusses 12 teaching methods that have a sound theoretical basis, have demonstrated a positive impact on student learning, and have a substantial research base. In many situations, the methods can be combined in such a way that the potential for student learning is greater than if used independently. Since no method will work in…