When students first enroll in college, they are required to demonstrate readiness for college-level work. Course placement depends on standardized assessments, and students who do not attain a satisfactory score are typically assigned to developmental (e.g. remedial) education courses. The theory behind this approach has been that remedial…

This paper reviews systematic research findings on the effectiveness of various interventions designed to help at-risk students remain in college. It shows how changes in federal policy and public attitudes since the mid-1960s have opened up higher education to women, minorities, and nontraditional students and also shifted the "center of gravity"…

This paper focuses on children helping children through peer and cross-age tutoring with special emphasis for programs serving the student remedial or special education setting. The historical roots of peer and cross-age tutoring are discussed. Explanations of the nature of the tutorial experience are presented, along with a discussion of the…

This evaluation of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 programs in the 16 participating schools and camps of the California Youth Authority presents findings for the year 1983-84. The students enrolled in the program were severely academically disadvantaged teenagers (reading and mathematics abilities five or more…

Responds to two articles in this "Educational Leadership" issue by Richard Salzer and by Lorrie A. Shepard and Mary Lee Smith that criticize overtesting and preoccupation with developmental differences in kindergarten-age children. Defends physical, sensory, and developmental assessment to help identify children's areas of strength and weakness.…

An experiment designed as a combined laboratory and classroom study was done with 12 male Norwegian third graders with dysgraphic problems. The remedial program was based on cybernetic principles and individualized. Results favored the experimental program but were only significant with regard to accuracy scores; speed writing exercises were not…

In the Louisiana Basic Skills Testing (BST) program, initiated in 1982, criterion-referenced tests of language arts and mathematics were administered to all second grade students. Longitudinal data over three years tracked four cohorts of students to address when retention appears to be most effective and whether a combination of repeated…

Describes a study of the effectiveness of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), high school graduation class percentile, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), as predictors of short- and long-term academic achievement among a sample of 58 high-risk college freshmen who participated in 1-year special studies program. (PAA)

Reviews studies on the whole-language approach of pairing reading and writing courses to enhance the learning in both. Describes a study of 154 students enrolled in basic writing. Results suggest that simultaneous enrollment in a reading class will not significantly influence ability to pass basic writing. (PAA)

This document summarizes the findings of a study of the reasons why some at-risk youth persist in special programs while others drop out. Information was gathered from 16 focus group sessions comprised of both "persisters" and "leavers" from in-school remedial programs and out-of-school youth service corps. The findings,…

The special nature of remedial programs and the variance in definitions, components, purposes, and structures are discussed to help institutional researchers design program evaluations. The term "remedial program" is used to refer to any combination of courses, support services, testing, placement practices, and institutional policies…

This handbook, issued in conjunction with the Governor's "Agenda for Excellence in Pennsylvania Public Schools," provides recommendations for revising promotion policies and practices in Pennsylvania schools. After a brief introduction, the results of a survey of promotion and retention practices are presented in summary form, followed…

Students' attitudes, expectations, and opinions about a desirable preparatory preacademic program were investigated before and after 1 year of science studies in the Preacademic School (PAS) of the Hebrew University. A questionnaire was pre- and post-administered to 150 PAS students (70 percent of whom were classified as academically disadvantaged…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a computer assisted remediation program on basic skills mathematics achievement, academic self-concept, and locus of control of students in a dropout retrieval program. A nonrandomized pretest-posttest experimental design was used to compare students from urban settings in two groups.…

One of a series of studies examining Louisiana's compensatory education program, this study investigated four assumptions upon which a skill-specific intervention program was based. Framed as questions, these assumptions are: (1) Is retention effective for students who do not know basic content for a given grade level? (2) When is retention most…