This paper reports on an ongoing effort of the Vermont Mental Health Performance Indicator Project (PIP) to examine the relevance and utility of standardized test scores for evaluating community mental health programs. This analysis is of test scores from Vermont's first four years of statewide testing. The study is examining anonymous…

This report is based on a test that was arranged in April and May of 1997 among first- and second-year students at Tallinn Pedagogical University who studied the Finnish language as a general subject and among the students of the eleventh and twelfth grades in some Estonian secondary schools. There were among 105 Estonians and 25 Russians among…

This report provides a longitudinal, comprehensive compendium of student performance data in the area of writing for the 2000-2001 school year. The report was generated using aggregate student data from North Carolina public schools, including charter schools, and provides information regarding student performance at the state level at each of the…

This theme issue on standards contains 11 articles written by teachers of English and language arts in Bread Loaf's primarily rural, teacher networks. These narratives describe how teachers in Alaska, South Carolina, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Arizona, and New Mexico are implementing state content standards while honoring local contexts for…

The implementation of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) began in English primary schools at the start of the autumn term, 1998. It was intended to bring about "a dramatic improvement in literacy standards," so that, by 2002, 80% of all 11 year olds should reach level 4 in English at the end of Key Stage 2 national curriculum tests.…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the consistencies and the differences revealed among teachers and school counselors when using the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) to rate the strengths of children at three separate school levels: elementary, middle, and high school. The sample included 60 children (ages…

This document attempts to clarify the issues surrounding the assessment of English language learners (ELLs) for school board members, administrators, teachers, parents, and community members in school districts that are members of the Council of the Great City Schools. These school districts enroll more than 30% of all ELLs in the United States.…

This book contains a collection of formal and informal reading assessments for use with students in Grades K-8. These assessments assist the teacher in targeting areas of strength and weakness, in monitoring student reading development, and in planning appropriate instruction. The book's assessments (some in both English and Spanish) range from…

This study used data from the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) to evaluate the participation of students with disabilities in the state's comprehensive assessment system. Data on students in grades 4, 8, and 11 during the academic years 1994-1995 through 1996-1997 were collected and analyzed. Results are reported in terms…

This paper reports the development and validation of an instrument to measure teachers' beliefs about teaching related to the behaviorist and constructivist learning theories. The development process included two phases. The first involved the collection of qualitative data from inservice teachers to ensure that the survey items were grounded in…

This document contains teacher and student materials for a course on brakes in the diesel technology curriculum. The course consists of 12 units organized in three sections. The three units of the introductory section cover: (1) brakes; (2) wheel bearings and seals; and (3) antilock brake systems. The second section, Hydraulic Brakes, contains the…

This packet of instructional materials for a gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and plasma arc cutting course is comprised of a teacher edition, student edition, and student workbook. The teacher edition consists of introductory pages and teacher pages. Introductory pages include training and competency profile, state duty/task crosswalk,…

Since the minimum competency movement of the 1970s, the importance placed on standardized tests has increased significantly. The intent of this study was to investigate the effects of state testing programs on the instructional practices of elementary school teachers and the effects of such practices on their gifted students' attitudes toward…

This fact sheet describes important changes in the academic characteristics of recent California high school graduates that relate directly to university eligibility and student preparation. The number of public high school graduates in California has grown by 9.7% since 1995, and the proportion of graduates who complete the full university…

A classroom study investigated the use of daily action logs as a means for assessing the progress of advanced students of English as a second language (ESL) at the college level. The approach was intended to promote student reflection, help make explicit the class' content, and provide feedback to the teacher on the effectiveness of the…