At community colleges and open-enrollment universities, most first-year students take placement exams in English and mathematics to determine whether they are ready for college-level courses. But large-scale studies have indicated that these test scores misplace substantial numbers of students--in other words, for many students, the test score…

Makes a distinction between developmental and remedial programs and suggests reasons for the difficulty in evaluating these programs. Identifies basic limitations in educational research, factors found in successful programs, questions to be considered in selecting and formulating the evaluation design, and five useful educational research…

A comparison of the reading skills assessment programs at three community colleges in Virginia and New Jersey is presented as part of an examination of the kinds of placement decisions that are made from assessment test data. Introductory comments focus on the controversy surrounding the growing emphasis on skills assessment in open-door community…

Intended for use by administrators, teachers, and parents, this book describes a clinical/support, kindergarten through grade 12, reading program designed to provide a balance between the characteristics of the students and the learning environment. The handbook contains eight sections, the first an introduction outlining the program's philosophy…

Presents two case studies of problems faced by developmental program administrators and faculty. One case focuses on the problem of defining success for developmental programs and the repercussions for who defines it. The second case addresses the campus location of developmental programs and the issue of centralized versus decentralized programs.…

This collection of essays focuses on various aspects of research and instruction related to developmental education. The collection includes: (1) "Evaluating Instructional Software for Developmental Education," by Curtis Miles, which includes information on types of microcomputer software, developmental student characteristics,…

Three types of evaluation methods are discussed in terms of their use in evaluating both cognitive and affective learning in developmental programs: standardized tests; criterion-referenced tests; and naturalistic inquiries. Section I looks at the complexities of learning and the inherent difficulties in judging the quality and quantity of what is…

An evaluation of the Learning Resource Center, a Title I diagnostic/prescriptive learning program designed to provide help for students with extreme learning difficulties in 26 nonpublic schools, is discussed in this paper. The first part of the paper is a synopsis of the program evaluation, including a summary of findings and subsequent…

This report examines the need of many deaf and hard of hearing college freshmen for remediation in one or both of two areas, reading and writing in English and mathematics. It explores the kinds of assessments most commonly used in these areas, suggests modifications for testing basic instruction and remediation, and offers some programmatic…

Flow charts, tables, and lists are used to illustrate a program evaluation model to be used in evaluating compensatory studies in higher education. Student progress is followed along an identification/selection/admission chart, incorporating program goals and student need measurement. Measures of individual and collective student progress are…

The 12 essays in this collection address the concerns of basic writing teachers and those who teach basic writing teachers. The first essay discusses the characteristics of the low achieving college students who require basic writing instruction and argues for basic writing courses that are based upon a thorough understanding of students' nature…

Management of the California Demonstration Program in Reading, a project designed to give educationally disadvantaged students at the junior high and middle school level a second chance to learn basic reading and math skills, is described. Material is divided into 18 sections covering program goals, instructional strategies, personnel,…