A developmental project in a college psychology course has shown that the computer can be a useful instrument for individualizing student learning and testing by freeing instructors from clerical and test generation tasks. In successive stages, the computer was used for the batch generation of quizzes on each unit of the course, for on-line…

In the summer of 1968, the second conference on new developments in the teaching of economics was conducted at Stanford University. For four weeks forty selected professors revised ideas on many basic economic education issues: methodology, innovative techniques, effective teaching, and ways of improving economics courses. As a result of this…

This study assessed the differences in Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) scoring patterns among various expected teaching majors for freshmen women enrolled in a required College of Education course designed to aid in their vocational decision-making as it relates to a professional teaching career. The theoretical basis for the VPI centers…

This interim report on an experimental program to increase student motivation to learn French at the Cultural Centre of Intensive French (CCIF) examines objectives, evaluation procedures, and results of the experiment. Part 1 contains sections on: (1) French achievement in Ottawa, Canada, grade 8 classes, (2) Pimsleur listening comprehension test,…

This preliminary draft of instructional materials for an English curriculum offering vocational preparation focuses on grammar concepts, selected vocational English topics, and the use of resource materials. The unit plans contain general and specific behavioral objectives, student activities, and teaching procedures. Information sheets, student…

The report documents the activities of the second year of a K-14 career education project in Greenville (Tennessee) city and county schools. The primary goal was to build upon the activities of the first year through the use of workshops and inservice programs to assist in the development of specific activities for the students. Project activities…

The purpose of this publication is to focus on issues in development and implementation of comprehensive guidance programs. To achieve this purpose a list of 10 of the most important issues was composed. The top 10 issues, in order of frequency of concern of leaders, are: (1) displacement of non-guidance tasks, including school counselors'…

This report begins with a brief history of the City University of New York (CUNY), including the institution of its "Open Admissions Policy," and the end to free tuition. During the late 70's and early 80's, CUNY began to bring order to the chaos of remedial experiments brought on by open admissions. Assessment tests in reading, writing,…

Examines influences that might explain fluctuations in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores since 1955. Discusses the role of the following: (1) test construction; (2) race, sex, and socioeconomic status of test takers; (3) school environment; (4) family environment; and (5) social environment. (FMW)

Contends that understanding history is more than remembering isolated facts: it involves interpreting, hypothesizing, and evaluating. Provides recommendations for preparing elementary students for the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS). (CFR)

Discusses the movement toward authentic assessment, also called direct or performance assessment, as an alternative to multiple-choice, standardized, norm-referenced testing. Authentic testing involves assessment tasks that are real instances of extended criterion performances rather than proxies of actual learning goals. Questions use of…

State exit exams, also known as graduation tests, are tests that student must pass to graduate from high school. These tests are more influential than ever. Accordingly, in 2004, 20 states required students to pass an exit exam to graduate from high school, and six additional states will implement an exit exam by 2009. This affects more than half…

The washback effect of tests on teaching has attracted considerable attention over recent years, but the critical question of how this translates into washback on learning remains under-explored. To address this issue, questionnaires relating to academic writing instruction were distributed to 108 learners from mainland China preparing for…

A main goal of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to close gaps in test scores between different groups of students while raising achievement for all groups. Of particular concern are the persistent achievement gaps between African American, Latino, and Native American students and their white and Asian counterparts, and between students from…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…