In 1988, a longitudinal study was conducted of 1,000 students entering San Jose City College's (SJCC) English as a Second Language (ESL) Program between fall 1982 and spring 1987. Data for the study were collected from randomly selected student information profiles completed by students during ESL placement testing and from student academic…

A guide for secondary school practitioners provides strategies for motivating limited-English-proficient (LEP) students to continue their education at least through the secondary level. The guide is based on the project handbook from a Kenwood, Oklahoma community-based dropout-prevention project. The guide begins by presenting dropout statistics,…

In 1987, the administration of North Carolina Competency Tests to public school sophomores resulted in 94.4% passing the reading test and 90.6% passing the mathematics test. Rates were similar to rates for the 1986 sophomores, but were higher than rates for juniors in the 1978-1983 period. The 1987 passing rate in mathematics was lower than for…

Participation in education in Australia is reported, with attention to: completion of year 12; postsecondary education; technical and further education (TAFE); apprenticeships; higher education; universities; Colleges of Advanced Education (CAEs); and degree programs. Data from two national probability samples of young people 4 years apart in age…

A study examined the use of a body awareness microcomputer program on young children as a predictor of early reading achievement. Subjects, 58 preschool and kindergarten students (prereaders) from a university laboratory school in the southern region of the United States, were asked to work in the microcomputer center in small groups to identify…

Full-time, degree-seeking students who transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), in fall 1983 and whose fall semester grade point average (GPA) was less than 2.0 (N=244) were invited to participate in a diagnostic and prescriptive program designed to help them figure out why their grades were low and how to prevent such…

During the 1985-86 school year the following three New York City high schools received federal funds under Chapter II, Subchapter C, for the development of special programs in the following subjects: (1) A. Philip Randolph--engineering; (2) Townsend Harris--the humanities; and (3) The Paul Robeson School--business and technology. Each of these…

One of the clear findings of recent research on the learning of science has been that students who have completed science courses commonly use conceptions held before instruction to interpret natural phenomena. This paper reports on a study of conceptual change in mechanics with particular concern with the nature of student awareness of any…

A self-instructional program in German for undergraduate students of engineering at Trinity College, Dublin, was developed based on a questionnaire of student needs, language experience, and preferred instructional methods. The course design and instructional materials for the program emphasized oral/aural skills; moreover, counseling and academic…

This review covers approximately 300 studies, including journal articles, dissertations, and papers presented at conferences. The studies are organized under these major headings: status surveys; scientific reasoning; elementary school science (student achievement, student conceptions/misconceptions, student curiosity/attitudes, teaching methods,…

In the spring of 1985, the Oregon Department of Education conducted an assessment of eighth grade students' skills in writing, reading, and mathematics. This report provides results for the mathematics portion of the assessment under these headings: (1) arithmetic skills; (2) estimation; (3) geometry and measurement; (4) application; (5)…

A dilemma arises in the attempt to establish procedures for valid assessment of academic learning. Measures of learning with high pedagogical validity often have poor psychometric properties. Conversely, tests that are well-constructed by psychometric standards may succeed in sorting and ordering students or schools, but have little pedagogical…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) Exit Level Reading Test is based on ten behavioral objectives that fall under six skill areas. Satisfactory performance on this test is required for high school graduation in Texas. This document, intended for teachers and test developers, presents general testing instructions and…

Containing the results of Oregon's second statewide analytical writing assessment, this document summarizes the procedures used to evaluate the writing skills of 4,567 eighth graders from 55 schools and analyzes the results. Following an introduction that includes comments from the scoring team, chapter 1 presents a brief history of writing…

Conducted as part of a larger study, this study attempted to describe and compare academic achievement of students who intended to enter selected faculties (education, engineering, arts and sciences) of the University of Regina (Canada) in the fall of 1982 and 1983 and who graduated from Saskatchewan high schools. This group totaled 3,632 of whom…