A three-year study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of the Transitional School Model in the Des Moines, Iowa, Independent Community School District. The model was designed to provide early adolescents in grades 6-8 with a more comprehensive bridge between elementary school and high school by emphasizing students' physical, emotional,…

This paper presents the preliminary results of a short-term longitudinal study of the impact of literacy instruction on the lives of 76 adults enrolled in a literacy program at the Center for Literacy in Philadelphia. It begins with an extensive review of literature on literacy, adult literacy and adult literacy assessment. It describes the…

This proceedings contains 18 papers on agricultural research issues selected by panel review plus the keynote address, a conference summary, and the conference agenda. The following papers are included: "Research in Agricultural Education: Requisites for Further Progress" (Warmbrod--keynote address); "Marketing Agricultural Education" (Casey,…

Two major issues related to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are explored: (1) the roles and responsibilities of federal and state education agencies in reformulating NAEP to facilitate comparisons among states; and (2) problems and solutions in aligning or accounting for differences between national assessment objectives and…

Issues in designing valid tests for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed. Test scores are often provided without any information on the nature of the tasks represented. Because test domains are defined by individual item writers, the generalizability between tests and items is suspect. While typical content…

This paper evaluates the procedures and results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science. A brief description of the 1981-82 assessment, funded by the National Science Foundation, precedes a discussion of strengths and weaknesses of the current science assessment program, conducted by Educational Testing Service. Major…

This document provides the final report of a survey conducted by the 1985 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to assess the literary skills of America's young adults. Chapter I provides the rationale for conducting a study of literacy proficiencies of young adults aged 21 to 25. The purpose and conceptual framework of the research…

This manual was developed as a resource to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in conducting assessment of special needs students in Missouri. The six chapters of the manual contain basic information on the following topics: (1) legal requirements in assessment, (2) screening/referral, (3) multidisciplinary evaluation, (4) diagnostic report…

Scotland has a system of national surveys of achievement intended to provide information for educational policy and practice. Testing of middle school students in the areas of mathematics, reading, English, and science, is designed to provide national information as opposed to information about individual pupils, schools or local authorities. This…

One of the most ambitious attempts to assess students' understanding of mathematics was carried out in England between 1974 and 1979. The results of this study indicate that there is a need in an overall assessment program to evaluate students' algebraic understanding as well as to measure their achievement in algebraic manipulations and problem…

In an effort to gather information on the status of special education programs in rural areas, visits were made to 33 school districts in 14 states representing 4 different administrative organizations (intermediate school districts, cooperatives, county systems, single districts) and 5 geographical regions. School populations ranged from 850 to…

A collection of essays presents the updated positions of nine critics of the community college who from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s participated in a debate with two-year college proponents over many of the fundamental assumptions of the community college movement. The volume contains: (1) "From Mass to Class in Higher Education," by…

This speech presents a teacher's account of the implementation of the Standards of Excellence Program in a Denver, Colorado, elementary school. Eight questions from the assessment instrument are cited that prompted the staff to reevaluate the educational program. Results of the assessment were analyzed by a committee, and objectives were set by…

Intended for students taking the Grade 9 English Language Arts Achievement Test in Alberta, Canada, this booklet contains the writing portion of the test, which requires the student to write an expository composition in response to four reading selections within the framework of a given situation. The booklet contains space both for planning and…

This document is an annual status report summarizing findings of the first full year of operation of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes four documents (reprinted in Appendices A through D) that were developed during the project; reviews the assumptions, concepts, and research findings upon which…