This study compared preparing science teachers' attitudes towards tests, evaluation and mathematics to those of preparing non-science teachers (N=76) in an upper division psychology course at a state college in eastern Massachusetts. These three attitudes were measured using semantic differentials that assessed both the cognitive and affective…

The influence of informal literacy learning during the preschool years was studied. Preschool teachers in 4 low-income areas read to their classes regularly in an effort to make students enthusiastic about reading. Teachers were also asked to visit families in particular need of help. Three books were sent home with each child twice a week, and…

Statistics are presented in this report format to reflect the characteristics of students from a given high school who took the ACT Assessment during their junior or senior years and graduated in 1994. Depending on the proportion of students who took the examination, the data may or may not reflect the characteristics of college-bound students.…

The issue of low teacher expectations of students is addressed, bearing in mind that any effort to address low teacher expectations for students that does not address the broader issue of school change will fail. The first section of the monograph explores the relationship between teacher expectations and student achievement. The second section…

This newsletter issue focuses on the assessment of school-aged children to: (1) determine if a child has a disability and is eligible for special services, and (2) provide information that can drive educational programming. Section 1 is an introduction which addresses a definition of assessment, how students are identified for assessment, federal…

An assessment of the Newark Literacy Campaign's (NLC's) Adult Tutorial Reading Program studied 20 long-term (in the program for at least 1 year) and 20 new adult learners; all but 2 were African-Americans. The following data sources were used: in-depth interviews with learners, logs completed by tutors, follow-up interviews 6-8 months later,…

This paper describes the partial immersion program (PIP) at Key Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. In this program, which has completed its seventh year, half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish. The review of the program, which included classroom observations, teacher and staff interviews, and student assessment, revealed a…

Many educators are shifting their teaching strategies and approaches to include more emphasis on critical thinking skills, the communication of ideas, a variety of approaches to content emphasizing varied student learning styles, and the need to draw explicit connections among topics for retention of learning. Real-world assessment measures, then,…

This report summarizes the evaluations of 15 schools in seven states that are using the Success for All program, an elementary school restructuring program that stresses prevention of learning problems and immediate intervention when learning problems do appear. The schools included those in Baltimore, Maryland, where the program was initiated,…

The information in this supplementary notebook is intended to provide teachers with additional materials, ideas and suggestions, and activities to help in implementing the first 21 units of the Applied Mathematics modules that help develop and refine job-related mathematics skills. An introduction lists the 36 units of the complete Applied…

Innovative work being done in the area of educational assessment is explored, focusing on the experiences of the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The following projects currently being carried out by the CCSSO are described: (1) the Secondary Academic Standards and…

When teachers search the literature for activities they can do with their students, they are exposed to science process vocabulary that is improperly used and ambiguous in meaning. This is particularly so with the science process skills of observing, inferring, and hypothesizing. This study examines the process understanding of science teachers at…

Sample undercoverage issues in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) are addressed. The main focus is the exclusion of certain categories of student in the base year, 1988, and in in-school follow-up rounds. A subsidiary focus is the question of how adequately transfer students were captured within the sampling procedures of…

African American urban sixth graders (28 males and 22 females), the majority of whom tested at or above grade level on the Iowa Basic Skills Test, were interviewed about 2 methods of selecting students for a summer science program. One method focused on student grades, and the other method focused on student interest in science. Subjects initially…

This booklet is intended to help persons interested in developing and implementing a competency-based training (CBT) program. It begins with a definition of CBT and outlines the steps involved in developing and implementing a CBT program (with emphasis on available materials and existing programs in Australia). The first section is a series of…