The South Asia Panel of the National Council on Foreign Languages and International Studies reports on the need for specialists in the languages and cultures of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Two categories of specialists are discussed: (1) individuals in government, mission, etc., in…

Ten high-ability middle school students participated in a 13 week enrichment program on inferential statistics. Consistent with the NCTM Standards, classes emphasized problem solving in real world contexts and the communication of mathematical ideas. Students struggled with written assignments, yet worked effectively in pairs, small groups, and…

Public school ratings of the importance of subject-matter test objectives associated with teacher certification tests were examined by means of a job-analysis survey conducted in 1986 and a similar survey conducted in 1993. It was predicted that there would be a high degree of change in the importance ratings assigned to these test objectives…

Anecdotal evidence from teachers who teach in bilingual or second language settings indicates that there is a potential for loss of subject matter. This loss is particularly troubling within the context of science learning. This article reviews several projects aimed at developing an understanding of the implications of bilingual instruction in…

Young children's knowledge of race and ethnicity is conveyed in their own terms, and how this knowledge affects their social relationships and ideas about procreation is explored. Participant observation, informal conversations, and collecting children's artwork were used to build a picture of race through the eyes of the kindergarten child.…

A job analysis was conducted of the knowledge and skills important for the competent performance of beginning business education teachers. The results of this job analysis will be used to define the content domain of the subject assessment in Business Education for the Praxis Series of professional assessments for beginning teachers. A domain of…

The relationships among teaching, testing, and learning are examined and reconceptualized based on different theories and computer adaptive testing. Approaches that integrate teaching, testing, and learning include: (1) behavioral psychology; (2) cognitive psychology; and (3) computer adaptive testing (CAT). Some behaviorists have assumed that all…

As part of the efforts of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in support of the national goals for education (America 2000), staff members are cataloguing and synthesizing research to connect it to federal practice. This paper presents the basic argument that synthesizing research and translating it into practice-oriented…

Learner-centered principles espoused by the American Psychological Association (APA) built on research of the last three decades suggest that learning does not simply entail coordinated cognitive processes. These 12 principles portray factors associated with learning as essential parts of the portrayal of learners as active creators of their own…

In most elementary schools in the United States, students get their first systematic introduction to history as a discipline and to chronological treatment of U.S. history as subject matter in fifth-grade U.S. history courses. To develop information about the knowledge and misconceptions concerning U.S. history that fifth-grade teachers can expect…

Some methodological issues in the study of levels of knowledge are reviewed, and needs for further research are explored, drawing on an analysis of 12 studies reported since the late 1970s. In the 12 studies, 16 quantitative experiments were conducted. These were assessed for internal and external validity. Analysis revealed some shortcomings in…

In five experiments with over 2,500 subjects, we examined the hypothesis that cognitive processing variables measuring breadth of declarative knowledge and information processing speed were related to learning outcomes on a paired-associates task. Experiments 1 and 2 compared recall with recognition tests, Experiment 3 assessed the effect of…

The widespread use of standardized tests and the high stakes decisions made because of their scores are facts that cannot be ignored. It can be argued, therefore, that assessment literacy should be included in the training of teachers and administrators. To determine the extent of selected assessment knowledge among preservice and inservice…

Chapter 1 is a program funded by the Federal Government to help children who are at a disadvantage in school. Parents have many questions about Chapter 1 programs. This brochure presents many of the questions that parents have asked over the years about how Chapter 1 works. Because every school district's Chapter 1 programs are different, the…

Reflecting on a career spent in assessment in personnel selection and managment, the author lists 12 things (items) that he wishes he knew about assessment. The first four items are underdeveloped ideas set aside because of the field's preoccupation with equal employment opportunity. A second set (items five through eight) comes from intellectual…