This collection of six papers on planning for effective foreign language education in the 1980s includes the following titles: (1) "Imperatives for the Eighties," by June K. Phillips; (2) "Profiles and Perspectives," by Pamela J. Myers; (3) "Second Language Experiences for Everyone," by Carol A. Herron; (4) "Special Curricula for Special Needs,"…

The following reports on the status of and prospects for foreign language teaching in the United States are included: (1) "Present Status of Foreign Language Teaching: A Northeast Conference Survey" by Peter A. Eddy; (2) "Toward an Articulated Curriculum" by Robert C. Lafayette; (3) "Competence in a Foreign Language: A Valuable Adjunct Skill in…

Presented are released science exercises from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in a loose-leaf format. Each exercise is followed by a documentation page that describes the objective being measured, mode of administration, age groups assessed, type of scoring, and national result. (CS) Primary type of information provided by report:…

The potential of multidisciplinary teams to control for possible errors in diagnosis, classification, and placement and to provide a vehicle for ensuring effective outcomes of diagnostic practices is illustrated. The present functions of the school-based multidisciplinary team (also called, for example, assessment team, child study team, placement…

Prepared for use with Research for Better Schools' career education programs, this guide is designed to assist in the selection of instruments which measure program goals. The guide provides descriptions of ten instruments: (1) student demographic data questionnaire, (2) career maturity inventory, (3) assessment of career development, (4)…

A checklist with five major categories is presented and discussed for its use in planning and carrying out an assessment program. Three other outlines are briefly presented for comparison: Stufflebeam's Meta-Evaluation Criteria; Scriven's Checklist for Evaluating Products, Producers, and Proposals; and Stake's Table of Contents for a Final…

This report contains three sections, the first of which is an introduction. This section states that the purpose of this report was to assess the initial group of projects sponsored under Public Act 761 of the General Assembly of Connecticut, and to weigh the broader implications of the rationale underlying the Act. It is explained in this section…

This cognitive/performance module is designed to teach the use of diagnostic techniques beyond those techniques provided by traditional mass testing. Terminal objectives include: (a) identifying a learning goal, (b) identifying a child who cannot successfully accomplish the learning goal, (c) diagnosing the child's learning strengths and…

The proposed procedures are focused on an assessment of the needs of consumers of education - specifically, the parents of high school age students. Each parent is interviewed and specific goals are extracted from the interview. Parents are then asked to respond to each goal in the aggregate of goals by agreeing, disagreeing, or remaining neutral.…

It is argued that, by design, norm-referenced tests (NRT) and criterion-referenced tests (CRT) are conceived with different frames of reference. They are not totally exclusive of each other, but they do direct attention to different uses and references for information and decision making. Their combined contributions allow a more detailed and…

Three school districts are examined in terms of what educational objectives are important and how well the schools are meeting these objectives. The first district incorporated goals listed by Phi Delta Kappa and questioned grade 5 parents, high school and junior high school students, and elementary, junior high school, and high school teachers as…

The needs assessment of adult basic education (ABE) in Minnesota touched on both the need for classes for ABE students and the need for training for ABE staff. Chapter 1 provides a summary of recommendations; chapter 2 gives a statement of the problem; and chapter 3 discusses the design, implementation and results of the needs assessment. The…

The purposes of higher education have grown and changed over the years, but they have not been decisively reordered since about 1870. Five major purposes for higher education in the last quarter of the twentieth century are: (1) the provision of opportunities for the intellectual, aesthetic, ethical and skill development of students, and the…

The potential social impact of the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), originator of Sesame Street, the Electric Company, and other innovative educational ventures, and the fact that it is supported largely by public monies are strong reasons for examining the full implications of the workshop's achievements. This study was designed to identify…

The teacher-as-researcher method of evaluation and assessment has produced valuable data about the learning environment and children, as well as provided a mechanism by which teachers can systematically improve the effectiveness of their teaching. (Author/IRT)