The main goal of this report is to present evidence on the predictive validity of an English language arts (ELA) performance assessment (PA) administered in Grades 2-9 in a large urban school district. To account for the hierarchical structure of the data (students are nested within schools), we employed hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to…

This publication contains Arizona public schools' academic standards for high school. The contents of this document contain: (1) The Arts Standard 2006--High School; (2) Comprehensive Health Education Physical Activity Standards 1997--Proficiency and Distinction (Grades 9-12); (3) Foreign and Native Language Standards 1997--Proficiency and…

In this study, we investigated a variety of Reader effects that may influence the validity of ratings assigned to AP® English Literature and Composition essays. Specifically, we investigated whether Readers exhibit changes in their levels of severity and accuracy, and their use of individual scale categories over time. We refer to changes in these…

It is widely assumed that increasing the number of teaching assistants (TAs) in the classroom will be beneficial to children, and this is one important aim of the recently implemented Workforce Agreement. But there are still significant gaps in knowledge about many aspects of their deployment and impact. The Class Size and Pupil-Adult Ratios…

This book is intended to transcend the gap between parents and teachers so that they may work together to benefit the youngsters they share. The intent, focus, and direction of the book are all highly connected and recursive. The intent of the book is to diminish the differences between the roles of parent and teacher so that they may become…

This paper presents the story of a university/public school collaborative program that in June 1991 was awarded the American Association of Higher Education's Presidents' Forum Award for Exemplary Work in Accelerating Minority Achievement. The Louisiana program was implemented by the College of Education of the University of New Orleans and two…

This report displays summary results from the Wisconsin Student Assessment System 1994-95 Eighth Grade Knowledge and Concepts Examinations for all Wisconsin school districts and schools with an eighth grade. Statewide data for 57,388 of Wisconsin's 58,821 eighth graders are reported; certain categories, such as limited English speaking students,…

A pilot validity study was conducted of the use of eighth-grade language arts portfolios for ninth-grade English placement decisions (academic or general) in a school district that consists of a city and an independent borough. Portfolios offered an opportunity to collect and examine multiple measures of performance for decisions previously made…

More than one-fifth of American school-age children and youth come from language-minority families--homes in which languages other than English are spoken. This volume, the first in a series of three, presents findings of a study that examined exemplary school-reform efforts involving the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. The…

Although portfolio assessment is becoming increasingly popular, it may not survive unless portfolio scoring can meet the demands of large-scale assessment standards. The results of studies of interrater reliability with large-scale portfolio assessments have been mixed. This paper reports the scoring results of a nationwide portfolio pilot in…

This book provides a multicultural curriculum that can be used alone or as a supplemental program for language arts and social studies instruction in kindergarten through grade 6. It uses the pluralistic values of the students' heritages to develop their social and problem-solving abilities. Each of the 30 units contains quotations that exemplify…

This study examined differences between stable (n=107) and mobile (n=39) students attending a three-year middle school in Terre Haute (Indiana). Demographic variables of gender, ethnicity, and family income were considered, in addition to mobility, to assess possible relationships with aptitude and achievement. Achievement was measured by the…

Intended as a comprehensive textbook for preservice teachers, this book aims to present a thoughtful, balanced approach to the teaching of reading and writing, incorporating the best of both traditional and holistic practices. It incorporates the teaching of both skills and strategies within a literature-based reading perspective, and is intended…

This book takes up the question of what shape high school English studies should take in the coming years. It describes an English program that blends philosophical depth with classroom practicality. Drawing examples from commonly taught texts such as "Macbeth,""To Kill a Mockingbird," and "Lord of the Flies," the…

A project was designed to increase reading skills of a target group of kindergarten through second-grade students in a primary continuous progress (CP) house in central Florida. The original target group included 15 kindergarten students, 34 first graders, and 54 second graders. Strategies included 4 parent language arts inservices, developing…