As constructed-response items become an integral part of educational assessments, setting student performance standards on constructed-response items has become an important issue. Two standard-setting methods, one used for setting standards on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading in grade 8 and the other used to set…

The goal of this practicum was to increase the opportunities of secondary African American and Latino students to critically read, think, and write about literature that was diverse both in terms of culture and gender. Although the students (61 students in grade 11) had completed 2 years of high school English classes, the overwhelming majority of…

This Monte Carlo study examined the effect of complex sampling of items on the measurement of differential item functioning (DIF) using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Data were generated using a three-parameter logistic item response theory model according to the balanced incomplete block (BIB) design used in the National Assessment of Educational…

This study provided an exploratory investigation of item features that might contribute to a lack of invariance of item parameters for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Data came from seven forms of the TOEFL administered in 1989. Subjective and quantitative measures developed for the study provided consistent information related…

Noting that several current communication theories suggest that the media have a "persuasive" effect on American society, a study compared the effects of two media (the electronic medium of television and the spoken medium of the homily) and whether these media have different effects on their audience's perceptions of reality. A national phone…

This paper examines the School Culture Survey developed by J. Saphier and M. King (1985) and its association with school and teacher characteristics. The research was conducted in the context of a Department of Education Fund for Innovation in Education grant to a large school district in the western United States. Participants were 27 principals…

The controversy about ability grouping in education boils down to a conflict between the educational goals of excellence and of equity. There is considerable evidence that ability grouping is effective in producing learning, but not for all students. This study addresses substantive issues raised in previous research, exploring whether ability…

This book, intended for teachers of grades 4-8, is organized into 9 units with distinct genres or subgenres of literature. Each of the units begins with an overview for the teacher summarizing the essential characteristics of the genre, followed by pre-reading activities to help students recall and organize their previous reading, followed by a…

A study examined the relationship between teachers' perceived eagerness to communicate within the classroom and students' perceived affective learning. Subjects were 88 students and 9 instructors at a proprietary business school in a large midwestern city. Teachers completed a 21-item self-report questionnaire assessing their communication…

This practicum provides solutions to private schools interested in creating a strategic plan for the integration of technology into all areas of the school program. In includes teacher participation and involvement in developing short and long term goals, ideas for developing continuing technology training for teachers, and a process for the…

A study explored how teenage audiences interpreted brochures intended to discourage them from taking drugs, and more broadly, how readers respond to the visual and verbal messages presented through brochures that aim to inform and persuade. Over 100 brochures and handouts from national and local drug prevention agencies were collected. A subset of…

Pointing out that influential movements in psychology, reading instruction, and curriculum development have greatly altered the terrain formerly occupied by the "teaching of literature," this literature review outlines the different ways education researchers have examined the following questions about literature instruction: (1) What…

A response-based pedagogy encourages the exploration of multiple perspectives regarding literary works and student construction of defensible interpretations of the same, with the quality of students' critical and creative thinking being the focus of assessment. The National Center for Research on Literature Teaching and Learning's ongoing…

Intended as a guide for teachers of grades 3-6, this book presents ideas for the use of literature groups in the classroom. In chapter 1, the author talks about her own reading background and her discovery of teaching methods for literature, and presents ideas for forming literature groups. Chapter 2 offers advice on selecting and collecting good…

A study analyzed the discourse in a variety of Hong Kong newspapers to assess how an individual takes on the role of reader in relation to the rather complex public discourse of a daily newspaper, particularly in a multicultural, politically charged context. Four categories of newspaper (Hong Kong English, Hong Kong Chinese, non-Hong Kong Chinese,…