A Preparing Girls Project was incorporated into the Teenage Parent Program, which had been in operation in the Owensboro (Kentucky) City School System since August 1961. It was intended to produce more capable single teen mothers who would be more likely to finish their education and join the labor force. The assessment instruments were reworked…

The lack of leisure reading of learning disabled seventh graders was addressed by the implementation of a 3-part reading program. First, a sustained silent reading program was established school-wide on a daily basis. Second, a target group of 15 seventh grade learning disabled students participated in sustained silent reading with writing twice a…

Because of a concern by the Alaska State Department of Education that results from the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are not being used to their fullest advantage to improve secondary instruction, the use of these assessment results by other states was studied. A two-page survey and request for copies of state…

The first year's observations of projects funded by the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting in its New Pathways to a Degree project are summarized. The project was designed to help colleges use technologies to develop academic degree programs that are accessible to the new majority of learners, those who have jobs, home responsibilities,…

The College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) objective test is used by colleges and universities to monitor the success of their undergraduate programs and as part of general assessment efforts. At Northeast Missouri State University (Kirksville), 102 students were identified as having suspect COMP scores based on the three criteria of: (1) COMP…

This resource document provides general information about literacy portfolio assessment, guidelines on using the technique, and a format for getting started. The first part discusses testing and assessment in adult literacy and basic education, alternative assessment, and literacy portfolios. The second part contains a list of questions and steps…

A study was undertaken at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), in North Carolina, to examine student opinions of services and factors influencing student satisfaction with the overall quality of CPCC. Questionnaires were distributed to 4,500 students in randomly selected classes in fall 1992, soliciting information on student…

In 1992 the University of South Alabama instituted a doctoral program in Instructional Design and Development. A survey was designed to help assess entry competencies of incoming students, monitor student development through the educational program, and assess program effectiveness. Students were also asked to choose 10 competencies that they…

An experimental study compared the effectiveness of a traditional General Educational Development (GED) curriculum with a literacy curriculum based on applied literacy skills. An experimental group of 34 adult students received GED instruction emphasizing functional and workplace contexts and supplemental instruction, whereas the 35 students in…

This practicum was designed to decrease turnover of newly hired teachers in a child care center by means of a 12-week orientation and training program for newly hired staff. In 1992, nearly half of the newly hired teachers had left the center within 6 months. Surveys of remaining staff, some of whom had already turned in resignations, indicated…

The Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS) project was begun in 1985 to provide rural communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming with greater access to information and educational programming. Computer centers were housed in nine rural public libraries to provide services related to literacy, career guidance,…

A 3-year project analyzed the Arkansas postsecondary vocational-technical education system to determine how effectively delivery was meeting the objective of providing vocational training. Two postsecondary vocational-technical schools in Northeast Arkansas were selected as pilot schools to test the innovative strategies that evolved from the…

The Running Start (RS) Program was piloted at 5 community colleges and 36 high schools in Washington state during the 1990-91 school year. RS allows high school juniors and seniors to enroll in a community college for high school and college credit. A total of 358 students participated in the pilot program in 1990-91 and will participate again in…

During the 1988-89 school year, the Portland, Oregon, Board of Education adopted an approach based on developmentally appropriate practices for improving early childhood education in public schools. Part of the plan for implementing the approach focused on a teachers' self-study process. The goals of the self-study project, in which three…

A project developed and implemented a model retention program to attempt to reduce by 20 percent the dropout rate at Crowley's Ridge Vocational Technical School (Arkansas). The major emphasis was on placing students in a vocational program that would maximize their chances for success. During the program: (1) all students were included in all…