Two-way language development programs are full-time programs that use two languages, one of which is English, for the purpose of instruction. Ideally, these programs are composed of elementary or secondary students half of whom are native speakers of English and the other half of whom are native speakers of the other language of instruction.…

Because of changes in the economy, in technology, and in attitudes of employers and employees, career development and career guidance are receiving increased attention. Measurement of outcomes is increasingly necessary to determine the career development progress of all students and workers, especially women, minorities, and recent immigrants. It…

This paper explores the issue of establishing and evaluating objectives for local career education programs. It presents a perspective on the state of the art based on reviews of the literature. Although it is addressed principally to local program developers and managers, the paper is also aimed at state career education coordinators. After a…

Criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) are constructed to permit the interpretation of examinee tests performance in relation to a set of well-defined competencies. CRTs are currently used extensively in schools, industry, and the armed services because they provide valuable and different information from norm-referenced tests. Test publishers, school…

Commercial achievement tests often provide limited instructional guidance and seldom provide feedback specific to any given classroom. The most instructionally relevant achievement tests are those developed by an individual teacher for use with a particular class. This digest describes the steps of test construction and presents suggestions for…

The concept of lifelong learning is surrounded by competing myths or visions that represent very different perspectives about the purposes and goals of education. In recent years, policy statements and the learning initiatives resulting from them are based on a predominantly economic rationale. They argue that globalization and technological…

This paper examines recent trends in the establishment of state-level policies for the performance evaluation of experienced teachers. "Trends" are defined as the prevailing state-sanctioned currents of thinking that undergird teacher performance evaluation policies. The document includes a paper that reports on the specific nature of…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) find that most major health problems in the United States today are caused by six categories of behavior. Comprehensive school health education programs represent one effective way of providing students with the knowledge and skills to prevent health-impairing impairing behaviors. The purpose of…

Assertiveness training, a current preferred method of training appropriate communication skills, strives to teach a behavior which enables a person to act in his/her own interests, to express honest feelings comfortably, or to exercise one's own rights without denying the rights of others. Assertion training could be envisioned as an intervention…

This guide can be used by educators at all levels in assisting learners of all ages to think constructively about their personal futures. The first section provides background material for the teacher/facilitator describing the futures movement and its development, study, and trends. Trends are reviewed in the following areas: work/leisure,…

Suggesting that all students are capable of learning and can achieve high levels of competency when teachers delineate their expectations, this digest focuses on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in the language arts classroom. The digest delineates some of the tenets of OBE, including the necessity of clearly defined objectives, students having…

The school reform movement has been a major societal and political agenda item for nearly two decades. As a result of the pressure stemming from the movement to make schools more effective, many changes have occurred. The most obvious of these changes is an increased emphasis on assessment. Furthermore, school counselors, like teachers and…