Investigated the effects of group ability composition on group processes and outcomes in science performance assessments. Findings from 21 eighth-grade science classes (445 students) show that group ability composition has a great impact on performance and that heterogeneous groups provide more of a benefit for below-average students than a…

Describes components that have enabled service learning at the University of Colorado to evolve into a fully funded, legitimate academic program: guidelines for faculty incorporating service into curriculum; five models of service learning; expectations of faculty, students, and community; assessment of teaching, research, and outreach…

Presents research on the scientific question-posing capabilities of 10th-grade students (n=127) who were studying air quality in a cooperative way using the jigsaw method. Finds that the difference between students at high and low academic levels to the extent of increase in both number and complexity of posed questions was significant. Contains…

Finds that, in comparing secondary education in different countries, two main systems are apparent: "sponsored mobility" and "competitive mobility." States that Brazil, in its recent history, has moved from sponsored to competitive mobility. Explores some of the lessons learned during this process and examines their…

Reviews the broad social, economic, and political trends that are reshaping higher education, and introduces the two-issue series of American Behavioral Scientist (Volume 42, Issues 5-6) dedicated to analyzing innovative institutional and pedagogical endeavors and considering their potential for reshaping traditional practices. (DSK)

This study analyzed the Stanford Achievement Test scores of Hawaiian students with disabilities and made comparisons to the larger normative population. After local subgroup norms were developed to supplement national norms, results indicated students with disabilities made greater gains in achievement from third to sixth grade than typical…

E. A. Hanushek analyzed the possibility that the St. Louis (Missouri) school district could operate a quality school system with the resources it would get under the state's transition plan that would phase out state financial support for school desegregation. The witness projected no adverse effect on the quality of education in the city. (SLD)

The focus is on partitioning the evaluation of the consequences of assessment programs among the sponsors, developers, users, and reviewers of tests. Five parties that share responsibility are discussed: (1) the state legislature, (2) the state board of education, (3) the school district, (4) the test publisher, and (5) the measurement profession.…

This volume provides the background of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and discusses the assessment and evaluation principles on which it is based. It reviews early steps in implementation of the Act's mandates, but was written before most of the battles of implementation had begun. (SLD)

This article first explains the legal basis of the movement to integrate students with disabilities into general education classrooms, including federal statutes, regulations, and judicial standards of case law. It then examines policy initiatives to include students with disabilities in systems of accountability and educational assessment. A…

One means of establishing the validity of performance-based assessments is to determine whether the criteria for basic competencies on performance tests are reasonable in relation to expected (nationally normed) age-level performance. Links between performances on three assessments in Michigan and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills illustrate…

Examines the problems with standardized tests as they apply to language minority students, and offers an alternative assessment process called an authentic assessment. Some classroom uses for authentic assessments are briefly noted. (GR)

This article comparing the educational systems of various countries contends that, while most countries have clearly articulated educational goals and educators know how to achieve the goals, there is little information on the extent to which students with disabilities are achieving such goals because most accountability assessment efforts do not…

Observes that decisions to cut bureaucratic waste in Canada's educational system rests with the bureaucracy itself. Maintains that most schools could productively institute a limited form of teacher-oriented self-administration, thereby reducing and streamlining educational administration. Argues that most educational administration is…

Describes how educators in the Pearl River School District, Pearl River, New York, have implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) principles to evaluate and improve their effectiveness. Includes two charts that depict key indicators of financial and academic performance and a seven-year profile of the district's budget, enrollment, diploma rate,…