Proposes a four-category classification of semantic structures of one-step word problems involving multiplication and division: forming the n-th multiple of measures, combinatorial multiplication, composition of operators, and multiplication by formula. This classification is compatible with semantic structures of addition and subtraction word…

Considers the interface of humans and seacoasts over time. Explains how coastal zones are formed and human attempts to defend against sea level changes. Charts the percentage of major world cities that also are ports. Postulates how the greenhouse effect could influence sea level, examining potential human responses to changes in coastal zones.…

Explores teachers' conceptions about assessment and their actual assessment practices. Uses a chi-square to examine the relationships between grade level and teachers' conceptions and grade level and teachers' practices. Researchers found several significant differences, transcending an indication of relationship by chance. (Author/CCM)

Examines argument and the creation and maintenance of social identity. Discusses the relationship between argument and current research on the construction of identities. Presents two illustrations--one focusing on nationalism as given expression in the divided city of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and another focusing on environmentalism as…

Presents an activity on number concepts using a calculator. Suggests that by using a calculator, students can search for patterns and identify them more quickly. This activity helps students make mathematical connections about divisibility rules, carry out investigations, make sense of what happened, and continue their investigation by creating…

The Word Writing CAFE is a new assessment tool designed for teachers to evaluate objectively students' word-writing ability for fluency, accuracy, and complexity. It is designed to be given to the whole class at one time. This article describes the development of the CAFE and provides directions for administering and scoring it. The author also…

The world has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of new states in the past couple of decades. Many of these new countries are the result of ethnic nationalist movements dividing an existing state. Is the United States susceptible to the forces of division which we more commonly associate with the rest of the world? Or is the United…

This report is a follow-up to "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" (Williams, Kirst, Haertel, et al., 2010). That study specified a comprehensive set of actionable practices that differentiated higher academic achievement among 303 middle grades schools in California. In doing so, the study provided a compelling and coherent account of…

In November 1996, the voters of Montgomery County (Maryland) approved by referendum an amendment to the County Charter that changed the County Council's review and approval cycle of the six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) from an annual to biennial cycle. The referendum specified that in odd-numbered fiscal years (on-years) the County…

Recent studies of the relationship between teacher preparation pathways and student achievement have resulted in similar statistics but contradictory conclusions. These studies as a group have several limits: they sometimes focus on student-level indicators when many policy decisions are made with indicators at the school-level or above, are…

Clinicians use a common practice of reporting age or grade equivalent derived scores, but problems of interpretation exist for such scores. This article examines derived comparison score issues and recommends use of scores of relative standing such as percentile ranks or standard scores in contrast to use of developmental scores like age and grade…

One of a series of booklets on world issues examines the sharpened differences between those nations that have declared sovereignty over parts of Antarctica and those that have not; between those nations that have arbitrarily assumed responsibility for the administration of Antarctica and the smaller, more numerous nations that believe their…

In November 1987, the superintendent of a major urban public school system (Philadelphia) publicized the district's decision to convert junior high schools (grades 7-8-9) into middle schools (grades 5/6-7-8). The superintendent's decision was based on several factors related to grade organizational structure, including (1) the district's already…

Test wiseness was examined with respect to grade differences, grade by sex interaction, and stability. Stem-options, similar-options, and specific-determiners were included. Results indicated significant increases on test wiseness in four of five cases, no sex by grade interaction, and test wiseness as a stable characteristic over the grade levels…

The major portion of the article establishes the basis for the stated rule - to divide by a fraction, turn it upside down and multiply. With this background, three justifications for the rule are given. Several possible errors in students' use of the rule are noted. (LS)