Despite the growth of a variety of alternatives to the neighborhood high school, most students in big-city school systems still attend large comprehensive high schools that serve a particular residential area. The authors contend that the extreme concentration of educational need at these schools is often overlooked by policymakers, school reform…

In 2002 the language policy for teaching mathematics in Malaysia was changed from the national language Malay, to English, to be implemented from the beginning of 2003. This gave the curriculum developers and importantly the teachers just six months to prepare for this change. This small study investigated how after 18 months, 22 secondary…

The guide outlines the design and content of Hebrew language schools (ulpanim) for immigrants in Israel. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of the Hebrew language, these schools introduce immigrants to the basic values of Judaism, the Jewish people, and the land of Israel. Introductory sections offer a brief history of ulpanim since 1949 and…

The relationship of differential item functioning (DIF) to item difficulty on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was examined, based on data from nine recent administrations of the test from June 1986 through December 1987. This pool of information includes item statistics on 765 verbal and 540 mathematical items computed for subgroups of White,…

Three major studies on English and native language use in the classrooms of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students are reviewed for the insights they provide on effective teaching practices and special services for this population. The bilingual education profession misunderstands and misuses what the literature says about instruction for LEP…

This study investigated the "customization" of a standardized achievement test to measure the effect on group and individual scores. "Customization" refers to the modification of an existing test to more closely match test specifications of the entity using the test, usually a state or large school district. Results of an…

Six experienced teachers of fourth and fifth grades read and made judgments about the appropriateness, attractiveness, usefulness, and effectiveness of each of 32 short descriptions of language-arts activities. The activity descriptions had been edited to vary systematically on five features: amount of student involvement; difficulty for students;…

The materials status report for Pashto, the national language of Afghanistan, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Pashto, the areas where it is spoken, its…

The materials status report for Slovak, the official language of the Slovak republic in Czechoslovakia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for reading various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Slovak, the areas…

The materials status report for Somali, the official language of Somalia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Somali, the areas where it is spoken, its major…

The materials status report for Amharic, the dominant language of Ethiopia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Amharic, the areas where it is spoken, its…

The materials status report for Khmer, the majority and official language of Cambodia, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Khmer, the areas where it is spoken,…

The materials status report for Sinhala, the majority and official language of Sri Lanka, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Sinhala, the areas where it is…

The materials status report for Mongolian, the official standard language of the Mongolian People's Republic, is one of a series intended to provide the nonspecialist with a picture of the availability and quality of texts for teaching various languages to English speakers. The report consists of: (1) a brief narrative description of Mongolain,…

This document accompanies the Conceptual Learning and Development Assessment Series I: Equilateral Triangle, a test constructed to chart the conceptual developemnt of individuals. As a technical manual, it contains information on the rationale, development, standardization, and reliability of the test, as well as essential information and…