A study focused on teachers' developing knowledge about their work, particularly the thinking of eight elementary school teachers from a racially mixed San Francisco Bay Area school district about the use of literature contracts in the classroom. The study examined ways in which teachers' prior beliefs influence their use of a new teaching…

The current official policy of the California community colleges on grading prohibits the use of plus and minus symbols to modify a standard letter grade. Plus and minus grades may influence a student's grade point average (GPA) either through statistical effects or psychological effects on teachers and students. At its fall 1985 session, and…

This paper examines the case law that deals with the issuance of student grades, and reviews most of the reported cases dealing with the lowering of students' grades for non-academic misconduct and the use of grades to exclude students from school. School officials have been known to act arbitrarily when issuing grades to students. It is…

The supplementary information on "Alberta Essay Scales: Models" presented here includes similar models to employ in grading essays, the background and development of the scales, and the rationale for developing two scales of English mechanics and style/content. A standard is presented for evaluating current writing achievement by…

An overview of results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, science, and mathematics for American students during the 1970's -- ages 9, 13, and 17 -- is presented. Results are for three learning areas commonly accepted as critical to the maintenance of our increasingly technological society. Data on performance have…

This paper examines the grading policies and practices of about 300 teachers from seven high schools in the San Francisco Bay area. Three questions are addressed: (1) Who or what determines grading policies? (2) How do teachers actually calculate grades, that is, what kinds of performances factors are taken into account by teachers? (3) How do…

The Secondary Student Progress Plan aims to provide uniform educational expectations for successful course completion and progress toward graduation beginning with grade 7 in school year 1984-85. Arranged in outline form, the plan shows the course of study for grades 7-12, guidelines for evaluating and reporting student progress, promotion…

The educational system of Jordan is described, and placement recommendations concerning students who want to study in the United States are presented. After describing the setting and structure of Jordanian education, attention is directed to curricula and enrollments, undergraduate student admissions, higher education, and graduate education and…

Professors at a large, northwest, state-supported university selected communication between instructor and student as the most important function of grades. Second in importance was the predictive function of grades, i.e., providing the student and others with information for making educational and vocational decisions. Third in importance was the…

Selected papers and discussions from the Conference of University Administrators held at University College of Swansea on March 31 - April 2, 1977 are presented. The characteristics of a departmental administrator are described, as well as his responsibilities and relationships with members of the staff in the department, with the central…

This document examines the work of Daniel Starch, emphasizing his work in educational psychology and advertising. After earning his doctorate in psychology (1906), Starch attempted to apply the findings of the new science to education and to advertising. This application met with much success. In advertising, he devised new sampling techniques and…

Guidelines are presented to aid secondary school physical education teachers in evaluating student performance in a way that avoids sex-role stereotyping and sex discrimination. Suggestions made for conducting testing in a bias-free setting include: (1) avoid sex-differentiated role tasks; (2) organize motor-performance testing procedures so that…

In an effort to provide a platform from which all 108 California community colleges could address the problems and issues of grading policy, the California Community and Junior College Association developed and adopted an official position statement. The statement cites the need for flexibility within state regulations to allow for adjustments at…

Factors are discussed which affect the role played by faculty in implementing legislation mandating that each of the Florida community colleges define the skills that must be mastered by students before transferring to a baccalaureate program. The report first presents a rationale for this mandate, based on the disproportionately high number of…

A critique of research attempting to determine student achievement by identifying the characteristics and resources of schools is offered. It is pointed out that frequently the academic achievement of students is related to the socioeconomic status of the general student population of the school. The suggestion is made that future research should…