During the 1982-83 school year, students in the San Diego City School District in grades 3,6, and 12 were tested as part of the state-mandated California Assessment Program (CAP). The purpose of the CAP and the Districtwide Testing Program was to measure achievement in the basic skills. Matrix sampling (the procedure whereby students take only a…

The Connecticut Statewide Basic Skills Proficiency Test is required for all ninth-grade students in Connecticut public schools, vocational-technical schools, and endowed or incorporated high schools and academies. The examination covers basic reading, language arts and mathematics skills. Students who score below the level of expected performance…

The 11 papers presented in these proceedings focus on the general theme, "Factors Other Than Teaching That Influence Reading Achievement." The following topics are covered: (1) the relationship between culture and reading achievement, (2) the influence of language on reading, (3) levels of cultural knowledge and self-esteem of intermediate grade…

Current discussions about literacy often focus on how economic changes are raising expectations for literacy achievement. The emergence of a so-called knowledge economy or learning economy requires more people to do more things with print. Less attention has been given, however, to how the pressure to produce more literacy affects the contexts in…

Discipline records and reading test scores revealed that students in the Redding Middle School (Middletown, Delaware) were achieving low reading scores while the number of discipline referrals remained high. This report of a practicum project shows how the school's teachers and administrators succeeded in changing the direction of this trend,…

One component of an evaluation research model for system-wide selection of curriculum materials is reported: implementation of an evaluation design for obtaining data that permits professional and lay persons to base curriculum materials decisions on a "best fit" principle. The design includes teacher characteristics, learning environment…

A three-year study was conducted at a California junior college to determine the number of college freshmen who needed assistance/counseling in reading achievement. In the first phase of the study (1974-1975), all entering freshmen were administered the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form C. The same instrument was used during the second phase of the…

A study was conducted to determine (1) the extent to which the degree of use of PRI/RS (the Prescriptive Reading Inventory Reading Systems, a criterion referenced management system developed by CTB/McGraw Hill) affected comparable groups of students on standardized achievement measures; (2) whether the degree of use differentially influenced…

To trace career patterns in education, researchers analyzed logitudinal data from the payroll and personnel files of 28,000 educators in the Chicago (Illinois) public school system. Nine types of positions were identified, including classroom and nonclassroom teachers, vice-principals, principals, specialists, and central office administrators.…

National compensatory education and the relationship between student achievement growth and educational processes are assessed in a first year report of the Sustaining Effects Study required by Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Federal funds were authorized to provide special compensatory services to educationally…

The Georgia Criterion Referenced Tests (GCRT), tests of basic skills, administered to Georgia students in grades four, eight, and ten measure competency in reading and mathematics. Results are reported for students in Atlanta and throughout the state. The reading and mathematics objectives were organized into skill areas. Atlanta students scored…

The One Major at a Time (OMAT) dropout program implemented for ninth and tenth graders by the Chicago, Illinois public schools is examined in this second year study. A description of the program includes information on its purpose, organization, instructional methods, student population, and objectives. Data on findings compare OMAT students with…

This report on Compensatory Education (CE) examines the cost effectiveness of instructional programs and outcomes for reading and mathematics. Included are a description and comparison of services for elementary school students in Title I programs, other CE programs and regular instruction programs. Also reported are the results of student…

Noting that reading development is a crucial factor in breaking down social, intellectual, and political barriers, this paper uses Nigeria as an example of a developing multilingual country in order to examine the problems and challenges that learners and educators in multilingual societies face. The discussion is focused on children at the…

A test measuring testwiseness was administered to 811 pupils in grades 3, 5, and 7 in the Tucson Unified School District. The pupils represented four ethnic groups: American Indian, Anglo, Black, and Hispanic. By controlling for reading ability using scores on a standardized reading test, the California Achievement Tests (CAT) or Comprehensive…