The "PLATO[R] Math Expeditions" and "PLATO[R] Projects for the Real World" curricula are designed to implement effective, research-based instructional practices. "Math Expeditions" is designed to give elementary grade users the mathematics skills and practice needed to solve real-life problems. Across the eight…

This book is an effort to examine the theory and practice of educational assessment while taking a step toward the development of a new paradigm. Fundamental changes in the way education is conceptualized must accompany the effort to rethink assessment theory and practice. The following chapters are included: (1) "The Need for a New Science…

The Boston, Massachusetts, school district requires that its 9th grade students pass both the Boston Public Schools Math Benchmark Assessment (BPS Math) and the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) before entering 10th grade. At Madison Park Technical-Vocational High School in June 2000, 349 students failed either the mathematics or reading test or…

Within a major numeracy project, there were marked differences in achievement between classes, which, as reported in Sullivan and McDonough (2002), we attribute to the teachers. To gain insights into the practices of effective teachers, six case studies of highly effective teachers at the Prep (first year of school) to Grade 2 level were…

In this paper we will concentrate on pupils' self-confidence in mathematics, which belongs to pupils' mathematical beliefs in themselves, and beliefs on achievement in mathematics. Research described consists of a survey of more than 3000 fifth-graders and seventh-graders. Furthermore, 40 pupils participated in a qualitative follow-up study…

This study investigates the relationship between the mathematics attitudes of over 32,000 Hispanic and Asian students in the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics Trial State Assessment, by gender and ethnicity, and by their mathematics performance scores. Descriptive inferential statistical procedures designed for…

The Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) provides an opportunity to benchmark student achievement against world class standards and to examine the influences of curriculum, textbooks, and educational systems on student achievement. Findings indicate that U.S. students at the fourth grade above the international average in both math…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is mandated by the United States Congress to survey the educational accomplishments of U.S. students and monitor changes in those accomplishments. For more than 25 years, NAEP has assessed the educational achievement of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students in selected subject areas, making it…

The Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico-Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN-RSI) supports systemic reform of mathematics, technology, and science education for rural students in its states, focusing on schools with high enrollments of American Indian and Hispanic students. This performance effectiveness review covers UCAN's progress during its third…

This study examined whether reading and mathematics performance of New York City Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) elementary and middle schools with extended time differed from performance of SURR schools without extended time in 1999-00. It also examined whether extended-time schools attracted more certified teachers and relationships…

This paper attempts to determine whether increased levels of involvement among socially advantaged parents accounts for children's track placements. Research has shown that students of higher social classes have a greater advantage in attaining placement in elite math sequences. Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (1988) was…

This report presents preliminary results from four sets of tests that are part of the North Carolina state testing program. The Grade 3 Pretest is a multiple choice reading and mathematics test administered to students at the beginning of third grade. This pretest was administered to more than 102,000 students in the 1999-2000 school year, and…

This report describes the implementation of portfolio assessment in order for students and parents to become more aware of students' academic growth in writing for first/second grade students and math for seventh grade students. The targeted population consisted of elementary and middle school students in two middle class communities, located in…

To test whether differences in academic performance exist between public and private schools, this report analyzes the mathematics scores from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) taken by African American fourth and eighth graders in the District of Columbia's public and private schools. The typical, or average, African…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…