The nature and effects of PBLA were investigated. I examined LINC program evaluations, government-solicited assessment reports, PBLA research, and other PBLA-related documents. I discuss the features of PBLA and its reported effects on language outcomes and teacher and student attitudes. I found that the government did not provide a rationale for…

In the current climate of high stakes testing and tough love rhetoric, many educational stakeholders have become increasingly reliant on standardized test scores to determine whether or not individual students, teachers, and schools--and even entire districts and states--are successful. In contrast to the black and white picture that test-driven…

This study examined math achievement of elementary school students when Math Out of the Box (MTB), an inquiry-based math program, was used to supplement curriculum. The sample consisted of 767 New Jersey students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades, with approximately one third using MTB. Math achievement was measured by an assessment…

This report describes outcomes for the first year of the REACH strategic compensation program in Austin Independent School District.

In a 5-year evaluation of the $6.6 million Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project, technology-using students surpassed nonparticipating peers in developing critical 21st-century job skills. Multimedia Project students outperformed comparison students on content mastery, sensitivity to their audience, and coherent design capabilities. Standardized test…

The Achip Pilot Project was implemented in six Detroit (Michigan) public schools during the 1997-98 school year. The Achip is a small hand-held device with a computer chip that allows students to access information about their subject matter. Teachers can develop this information by creating exercises that are in alignment with their lesson plans…

This symposium report summarizes three studies from the Houston Parent-Child Development Center dealing with aspects of a Parent Involvement Program for low-income Mexican-American families. The studies reviewed are: (1) First Results of a Longitudinal Parent Education Program, (2) Prediction of Success in a Parent Education Program, (3)…

Connecticut is developing a new grade 10 statewide testing program known as the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). The CAPT reflects the changing nature of standardized assessment by using a variety of assessment formats including performance tasks, open-ended questions, and multiple-choice tests. This paper describes the research that…

This final report presents an evaluation of the Designing and Implementing Programs for the Little School Component which is a program designed to develop, implement, and disseminate a program of individualized instruction at the Howard D. Woodson Senior High School. The purpose of the program is to improve academic achievement and student…

The report evaluates the first year's operation of an employer-based career education project in Philadelphia, the Academy for Career Education, which recruited 107 participants, the majority of whom were 16 year-old 11th graders who had performed poorly in their sending schools, but have close-to-average IQ scores. Three standardized testing…