Science education standards are criteria by which to judge the quality of what students know and are able to do, of the science programs that provide the opportunity for students to learn science, of science teaching, of the system that supports science teachers and programs, and of assessment practices and policies. This document summarizes the…

This paper describes and reviews the Effective Early Learning (EEL) Research Project's approach to quality evaluation and improvement in early childhood settings in the United Kingdom which focuses primarily on enhancing the effectiveness of the early learning experiences of young children. The project began work in May 1993 and is completing its…

This research investigates whether the Computer-Based Academic Assessment System (CAAS), a battery of tests examining speed and accuracy at performing component reading skills, would be useful for identifying reading disability in college students. One important question was whether CAAS could distinguish reading disability from non-disability or…

When individuals are given tests that are too hard or too easy, the resulting scores are likely to be poor estimates of their performance. To get valid and accurate test scores that provide meaningful results, one should use functional-level testing (FLT). FLT is the practice of administering to an individual a version of a test with a difficulty…

Statistical significance tests (SSTs) have been the object of much controversy among social scientists. Proponents have hailed SSTs as an objective means for minimizing the likelihood that chance factors have contributed to research results. Critics have both questioned the logic underlying SSTs and bemoaned the widespread misapplication and…

Educational reform efforts have led to increased use of alternatives to the traditional binary-scored multiple choice item. Many stimuli employed by these alternative assessments yield complex responses that require complex scoring rules. Some of these new item types can be polytomously-scored. Differential item functioning (DIF) assessment is a…

This paper first proposes a definition for outcome-based education (OBE) and then identifies questions that challenge the assumptions of OBE. In so doing, it sets the agenda for an honest debate on issues of policy, process, and assessment. OBE calls for a shift from an emphasis on inputs to an emphasis on performance standards for all students.…

Educational leaders may recognize the promise of a performance-based educational system, but often are wary of confronting well-orchestrated special interest groups who oppose the change. This paper provides a basis for dialogue on both the promise of outcome-based education (OBE) and the challenge it presents to educational leaders. It argues…

Traditional approaches to education use the level of inputs as a measure of effectiveness. Outcomes-based education (OBE) is based on the concept that educational success should be measured by what students learn, rather than by what they are taught. As a systems-level restructuring tool, OBE calls for success for all students, not just academic…

This paper summarizes research on ways to measure a school's instructional climate. Four areas of inquiry revolve around accomplishment, recognition, power, and affiliation. Because a school's instructional climate has a significant impact on student learning, the study of instructional climate is important. Three sets of conditions to examine…

This report describes a program for increasing student readiness for and achievement in mathematics. The targeted population consists of third grade students in an expanding suburban community and kindergarten students in a culturally diverse urban community, both located in Northern Illinois. The problems of achievement in and attitudes towards…

This book of essays sets forth Eisner's theories of aesthetic intelligence, or theories that rethink the connections among art, literacy, research, and evaluation. The book is divided into four sections of four essays each. The first section, "Cognition and Representation," explains how the process of education expands and deepens the kinds of…

This policy brief provides background information to state leaders as they play an increasingly visible role in reading programs. It focuses on understanding how children learn to read; on clarifying what research says about effective reading approaches; on why so many students are not reading successfully; and on identifying what policymakers can…

This annual plan identifies the key strategies and performance measures for the Department of Education (ED). The plan focuses on strategies for achieving the ED's mission, which is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence, and it discusses the department's four goals that support this mission: (1) help all…

This volume of the Department of Education's (ED) annual plan contains the program-performance plans to support efforts to reach the department's four goals. These four goals are as follows: (1) help all students reach challenging academic standards so that they are prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment;…