This paper analyzes the results of a pilot study at Glendale Community College (Arizona) to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive multiple choice final exam in the macroeconomic principles course. The "pilot project" involved the administration of a 50-question multiple choice exam to 71 students in three macroeconomics sections.…

The superiority of Asian students in cross-cultural comparisons of mathematical achievement has been well documented. U.S.-Chinese comparative studies have investigated a variety of factors related to student achievement in mathematics including societal and cultural influences, and student and school characteristics. This study investigates the…

The effects of the significant changes in English education that have followed the 1988 Education Reform Act are explored in this study that considers the impact of the Reform Act on elementary schools and the changes in primary (elementary) schooling as an illustration of wider social developments. The work of B. Bernstein provides a framework…

This book is designed to be a useful compendium of sound and practical ideas to help the classroom teacher, especially the teacher who is new to the profession. It is primarily aimed at secondary school teachers, although those who work with younger children may find elements of the book useful. The book is not intended to be read cover-to-cover,…

This paper discusses how educational program developers can design useful systems for gathering ongoing information about program outcomes to aid in the decision-making process. An introductory section offers basic definitions and a rationale for collecting outcomes information. Next, roadblocks to using information for decision making are…

The Milwaukee Public Schools, in consultation with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, received a planing grant for the 1993-94 school year to join in a collaborative effort to conduct the Milwaukee Public Schools Mathematics and Science Self-Study. The goal of this study was to examine the status of K-12 mathematics and science programs…

This book is a practical guide to help parents understand educational assessment. It shows how good student assessment actually enhances learning, and it provides a foundation for building community support for effective practices. It offers advice about improving communication between home and school, and explains how to build strong…

A descriptive study was conducted to examine the current assessment practices of teachers in Ohio. The specific aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the extent to which teachers use traditional versus alternative forms of assessment techniques in their classrooms. Participants were 625 teachers from kindergarten through grade 12. The…

In 1990, the National Education Goals Panel--six governors, four members of the President's administration, and four members of Congress--enlisted the aid of six resource groups (RGs) of educators, business people, and technical experts in identifying: which indicators best measure progress toward six national education goals, data for the panel's…

The Riley Inventory of Basic Learning Skills (RIBLS) is a group test that assesses 12 learning process skills in 5 general modalities (visual, auditory, verbal, kinesthetic, and abstract). The RIBLS is intended for administration to groups or individuals from age 6 to adulthood in two levels: a lower level for those who cannot read or are under…

Two of the most popular assessment instruments for measuring college student educational outcomes are the College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) of the American College Testing Program (1987) and the Academic Profile of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Characteristics of these tests were compared, and the sensitivity of each test to…

Findings of a paper that compared three analytic models for classifying public schools are presented in this paper. The first model is the traditional additive multiple linear regression model that assumes the use of a compensatory policy in assigning weights to school attributes. The second is an adaptation of Coomb's (1964) conjunctive model…

In this paper, algorithms are described for obtaining the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters in log-linear models. Modified versions of the iterative proportional fitting and Newton-Raphson algorithms are described that work on the minimal sufficient statistics rather than on the usual counts in the full contingency table. This is…

In April 1987, the Austin school board approved the current student assignment plan, which returned most elementary students to their neighborhood schools and created 16 predominantly minority schools with many students from low-income families. This report summarizes the outcomes of a 5-year plan, "A Plan for Educational Excellence," in…

In the spring of 1991 a two-part questionnaire was mailed to a nationwide sample of 100 uppersecondary teachers in England. Usable responses were received from 72 teachers. The purposes of this study were the following: (1) to describe the impact of the 1988 British Reform Act on Education; (2) to determine teacher perceptions in selected publicly…