Translational science is the cornerstone of biomedicine that transfers laboratory and clinical research to the hospital bedside in various forms of therapeutic interventions. This scientific branch influences public health decisions, the economy, and ongoing research endeavors. The purpose of this study was to develop a youth-friendly…

Within a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework, Tier 1 instruction requires the selection of research-based core curricula. However, many educators and administrators are not aware of high-quality core writing curricula. The authors assembled a rubric to assist schools in evaluating core writing curricula for Grades 3-5. Rubric components…

This resource is a compilation of three documents that support the teaching of spelling in today's schools: a discussion of "Why Spelling Instruction Matters", a checklist for evaluating a spelling program, and tables of Common Core State Standards that are linked to spelling instruction. "Why Spelling Instruction Matters"…

The efforts of a pair of curriculum developers to conduct "formative" and "summative" evaluation of an experimental civics course are described here, along with some of the consequences of their efforts, and a few of the pitfalls they encountered. Formative evaluation refers to those practices that produce data enabling developers to improve their…

The author introduces twenty-six analyses, describes the method of analysis, includes a selection policy for this issue, and lists ten analysts. Each project, analyzed by the combined criteria of the CMAS and the NCSS Guidelines, is examined for background information, product characteristics, rationale and objectives, content, methodology,…

The major conclusion derived from questionnaires mailed to a random sample of New York teachers evaluating the eleventh grade curriculum revealed that teachers felt the quality of teaching was affected by the excessive quantity of materials; most placed emphasis on only four of seven topic areas; and a majority agreed too much material was…

The article examines development and evaluation considerations for career education programs for hearing-impaired students. Development and evaluation of career exploration materials are traced in six occupational clusters: construction, health care, arts and humanities, transportation, manufacturing, and agribusiness. Materials were scheduled for…

How criterion-referenced tests can be used in program and curriculum evaluations is discussed. Topics include: understanding program/curriculum environments, determining an appropriate evaluation model, and standards for determining a CRT's and an evaluation's quality. Five instructional steps are outlined, and an annotated bibliography and a…

The anthropology materials, designed for ninth and tenth grade students and focusing on understanding of human behavior through acquisition of scientific investigation, are assessed. (SM)

Program descriptions and evaluations are provided for three major sets of sociology materials for secondary grades: Inquires in Sociology, Episodes in Social Inquiry, and Readings in Sociology. (SM)

Presented are the results of a review and evaluation of the energy curriculum materials produced by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Major findings of the project were: (1) DOE materials are receiving only limited use because of low teacher awareness of availability; (2) when materials are used, teachers evaluate materials favorably;…

The purposes of this Newsletter are: to summarize the Consortium's recent experience with the Curriculum Materials Analysis System (CMAS); to report the activities of others using CMAS; and to describe available analyses of curriculum materials, including their prices. Most of the analyses were done by teachers and supervisors in work groups…

This article provides six criteria to help teachers decide which multiculturally-focused instructional materials might most appropriately meet their needs. The criteria hinge on two assumptions: (1) the criteria stem from a definitional assumption; and (2) students bring different learning styles to school that reflect the diverse makeup of…

This article picks up the debate on the requirements of materials criticism and provides an extensive critique of the Philosophy for Children program, contributing both a description of the program material and a basis for further discussion and exchange on the issue of materials criticism. (Author/MLF)