National standardization data were used to reexamine the evidence of gender differences in achievement test scores reported in previous studies. Changes in differences over time, from 1963 to 1992, were examined, as were differences across all grade and achievement levels. Subjects participated in Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Iowa Tests of…

Chinese-American girls perform as well as Chinese-American boys at higher levels of mathematics. Caucasian-American girls perform significantly less well than Caucasian-American boys. This study, designed to examine factors involved in this differential, contrasts 25 first generation Chinese-American mother-father pairs and 27 Caucasian-American…

This report examines the findings from a series of evaluations of efficacy programs in selected elementary and middle schools in Peoria (Illinois), Detroit (Michigan), Los Angeles (California), and the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto (California). An efficacy program initiated in Sacramento is targeted as a research site, but no data…

Recent reports by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Research Council, the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, and the Board on Mathematical Sciences emphasize that coordinated improvement in the content of mathematics curriculum, classroom instruction, and teacher education is the key to improving mathematics…

In September 1991, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) announced standards for basic, proficient, and advanced achievement in mathematics and reported that few American students had reached these standards. Expert reviewers noted technical problems with the NAGB approach and questioned its results. In this report, the NAGB…

Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Rural Excel program collaborated with the Tennessee Center of Excellence for Science and Mathematics Education and with faculty at 21 local education agencies in rural Tennessee to evaluate implementation of the Tennessee Mathematics Activities Manuals for grades 5-8. The manuals each contain 54-67 activities…

The Cognitive Enrichment Network (COGNET) Follow Through Project provides a community framework in which parents and preschool and primary grade teachers can help children learn. This report summarizes results of studies in a Tennessee school district on the impact of COGNET on children, teachers, and parents. The COGNET instructional model has…

Some potential relative advantages of performance assessment strategies over paper-and-pencil tests using short-answer and multiple-choice item formats are discussed. The major advantage of the multiple-choice test is its ability to sample a large number of learning outcomes efficiently. However, performance assessments are increasingly being used…

This paper evaluates a program for educators, youth workers, and parents in four Atlanta (Georgia) Public Schools designed to teach African American children the positive aspects of their cultural heritage and to increase their self-esteem and desire to learn. Although the Self-Esteem Through Culture Leads to Academic Excellence (SETCLAE) program…

The Mathematics Improvement Component (MIC) was first implemented in the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools in 1987-88 to assist elementary and middle school pupils who were low achievers in mathematics. Three programs comprised the 1989-90 MIC: the Elementary Computer Assisted Instruction (Elem-CAI) Program, the Elementary Competency Based Education…

The focus of this paper is on the methodology used in analyzing studies on the effects of school desegregation on black achievement. The paper also addresses a number of substantive issues, including the overall effectiveness of school desegregation, the impact of type of achievement (math or reading), and time of desegregation (early or later…

This report summarizes a project to develop computational estimation materials for students in grades 6, 7, and 8. In chapter 1, the need for estimation skills is discussed and the goals of the project are stated: to develop a carefully sequenced set of lessons, activities, and maintenance work on estimation with whole numbers, fractions,…

Students Upgrading Mathematical Achievement (SUMA) is a part of the Bilingual Mathematics and Science Achievement project for Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. Its objective is to provide both remedial tutoring to students lacking mathematics skills and enrichment to students who are potentially gifted in mathematics.…

A study involving 233 seventh-grade students (123 females and 110 males) attending a metropolitan southeastern Idaho junior high school was conducted to determine predictors of seventh-grade mathematics achievement. The seventh-grade mathematics program consisted of 11 classes of four ability groups. The classes included a pre-Algebra class, four…

The Great Starts Mathematics Approach, the early childhood component of the Staff Development Program in Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science, is a collaborative 3-year staff development project. The project's goal is to develop a model for improving mathematics instruction in kindergarten through second grade. This is the evaluation report…