This investigation sought to determine the extent to which examiners' evaluations of writing performance were influenced by the learning disability label and to identify mediating variables which modify expectancy effects. Forty-four preservice regular education teachers were randomly assigned to one of two expectancy conditions (learning-disabled…

Exercises from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) third mathematics assessment are provided in this released exercise set. Exercises were administered to 9-year-olds, 13-year-olds, and 17-year-olds. Some exercises were administered to only one age group, others to two or more age groups. The set is divided into two parts: text…

Evidence that elementary school children possess inadequate economic knowledge is presented, and four arguments are outlined for the importance of economics education in the public schools: (1) economic knowledge is essential to civic duty in a democracy; (2) economic knowledge is important when individuals attempt to function rationally in a…

The effort to make the Connecticut Elementary Education Certification Examination (EECE) reflect the skills and knowledge essential to successful beginning teaching is described. This instrument is planned as part of an assessment system being created by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The first element of the program is a basic…

The validation of Tennessee's Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) is described. Panels of experts from teacher education institutions and local school districts performed the test item review, focusing on test validity and minimum requirements for admission to teacher education programs. Participants (136 teacher educators, 108 high school…

A study sought to determine to what degree educators are cognizant of principles of learning as applied to the students they teach. Examined were the relationships among: (1) the criterion variable of educators' perception of the degree that their students learn according to selected learning principles and (2) the predictor variables of work…

A methodology was developed for the systematic analysis of the nursing profession, as part of the Kentucky Nursing Education Project's Nursing Delineation Study. The methodology defined and ranked nursing tasks according to the degree of complexity in order to promote articulation in nursing practice and education and to better utilize the…

This bulletin contains the current specifications from which the questions on the professional education subtest of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination were developed. Information is provided on: (1) competencies and subskills tested by the subtest; (2) generic competencies evaluation strategies; (3) the content base for the professional…

To explore the relationships between teachers' knowledge of basic reading content, beliefs about reading, and decisions about the importance of specified reading learning outcomes, two existing instruments (Knowledge Test of Reading for Elementary Teachers and Propositions About Reading Instruction Inventory) and one researcher-developed…

The education system in Turkey has responded promptly to the need for environmental education (EE). However, the existing lack of relevant research may limit the functionality of EE programs in Turkey. In this study, the goal was to develop an environmental conscious database that would allow effective planning of EE. Specifically, the study was…

Summaries of results are presented for student achievement on art exercises from a national art assessment program conducted during 1974-75. Two technical reports document the results of the national assessment. Exercise-by-exercise results are reported in the "Art Technical Report: Exercise Volume" (see TM 006 981). This report, a companion to…

Fifty-eight studies relating to the "knowledge gap" hypothesis (a theory that correlates public knowledge to educational level and mass media exposure) are examined in this report. In the opening sections, the theory is defined, and the early information diffusion studies and public opinion polls that led to its formulation in 1970 are…

One of the goals of science education is to foster critical and scientific thinking skills. However, if the meaning of the terms "thinking critically" or "thinking scientifically" is not clear, these phrases will become vacuous slogans beyond translation in teaching methods and curriculum materials. Therefore, the fundamental aspect of these terms…

This paper summarizes some of the issues involved in educational testing. First, it describes four of the fundamental characteristics of tests: whether they are measures of aptitude or achievement, whether they require students to produce or just recognize the best answer, whether they are interpreted in relationship to the scores of other…

The paper reports on a study of social studies tests and their relationship to National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) curriculum guidelines. The study had two objectives: (1) derive learning objectives based upon the NCSS Curriculum Guidelines (1971) and the NCSS Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education (1976), and (2) acquire a…