This ERIC Digest describes the development of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress for geography and the results from that examination of geographic knowledge and skills of students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The assessment format utilized multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions. Results were reported…

As almost every state revises its mathematics frameworks or develops new ones, current testing practices remain almost unchanged. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), in its "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics," argues for greater emphasis on application, reasoning, and conceptual understanding, but the…

This book is designed to provide prospective and practicing teachers with: (1) a concise presentation of assessment principles that clearly and specifically relate to instruction, (2) current research in the field, and (3) practical and realistic examples of assessment and suggestions for assessment built into the instructional process. The book…

This Digest describes the development of the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress for civics, and the results from that examination of civic knowledge and intellectual skills of students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The assessment format utilized multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. Results were reported by the…

This study examined the implementation of standards-based reforms in urban schools with high concentrations of low-income students, highlighting the influence of state policy on the development and implementation of school standards. Researchers examined the type of state policy three school districts were exposed to, level of teachers' awareness…

This study examined, through a designed simulation of a performance assessment of a typical teaching act, the possibility of measuring elementary preservice teachers' mathematics content knowledge without relying solely on the candidates' performance on a standardized mathematics test. Data collection involved a series of disclosed mathematics…

This annual report presents state-level data about education in Rhode Island, focusing this year on what appears to support or obstruct the relationship most central to education, that of teacher and student. Data are provided for the state's 37 school districts (including 1 operated by the state). The sections of the report are: (1) "Student…

This is the second report card on the New York City public schools issued by the Manhattan Institute's Center for Civic Innovation. The "just the facts" format provides a statistical review of performance over 10 years using data made available by the State Education Department and the City Board of Education. In the short term, data…

This study analyzed data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) to examine the awarding of institutional need-based versus non-need-based grants to undergraduate students. The purpose of the study was to determine how the use of these different types of scholarships has changed from 1989 to 1995, the socioeconomic…

The booster lessons included in this book are designed for those children who need targeted support to secure National Curriculum Level 4 in the Key Stage 2 English tests. As the children work through 18 booster lessons, they will revisit key objectives that will help ensure that they achieve their full potential in the end-of-Key Stage 2 tests.…

This paper explores how new accountability policies interact with culturally relevant teaching at the classroom level. When teachers are under the constraints of accountability and student testing policies, are they able to adopt and practice culturally relevant pedagogy in their classrooms? Previous research indicates that high-stakes…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students nationwide…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Department of Defense Dependents Schools eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students nationwide (using data from the NAEP national…

This paper offers a method for evaluating protective factors in young children at risk for emotional and/or behavioral disorders. It reviews the development, standardization, validation, and use of a new, nationally standardized measure of within child protective factors, the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA). The DECA evaluates the…

This document consists of the five consecutive issues of the journal "Imagine..." published during volume year 2. Typical journal articles cover teaching academically talented secondary students in the following focus areas: (1) mathematical problem solving; (2) the humanities; (3) academic summer programs; (4) science and technology; and (5)…