This report deals with a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Policymakers, researchers, and other users of assessment results need to understand the methods used for reporting NAEP. Having a reference is particularly important as the methods of…

In the fall of 1990, seven teachers at the Ralph Bunche School, a public elementary school in Harlem (New York) began an experiment in school restructuring they called the Computer Mini-School. An unexpected outcome of the project was an increase in standardized test scores among their 120 students. This outcome is explored. It is argued that the…

Designed for students at Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) placed on academic warning, probation, or suspension, the seven sections of this booklet provide a self-directed approach for identifying some of the factors contributing to students' academic difficulties, and describe resources available to students at the college. The…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is the first nationally representative longitudinal sample of eighth-grade students in public and private schools. Data provide measures of student performance and allow for the examination of attitudes and activities of eighth graders as they pass through the education system. Overall,…

Project HAITT STARS (now in its fourth year) was designed to provide Haitian-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking high school students of limited English proficiency (who scored at or below the 40th percentile on the Language Assessment Battery) in three schools in Brooklyn and Queens, New York with instruction in the beginning through transitional…

The need to assess students' educational needs and progress is explored, and minimum standards that local school districts must meet to be in compliance with classification and accreditation standards of the State Board of Education are specified. There are three major uses of assessment results: instructional, guidance and counseling, and…

The Elementary School Curriculum Efficacy Program (ESCEP) of the Detroit (Michigan) Public Schools is intended to improve the academic performance of students through the development of positive attitudes toward learning. The ESCEP introduces students to a process of self-exploration that better enables them to understand their personal…

Various methods used to assess the content of a test are reviewed, and a new procedure designed to improve on these methods is presented. The two tests considered are a professional licensure examination, the auditing section of the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, and an educational achievement test, a nationally standardized…

In the 1989-90 school year, 13 dropout prevention programs were implemented in the Leon County (Florida) School District. The Comprehensive Dropout Prevention Program (CDPP) for Leon County schools included Educational Alternatives Programs, a Teenage Parent Program, a Substance Abuse Program, and Youth Services Programs. This report presents…

This report summarizes the available evidence on approaches and strategies of colleges and universities in their efforts to improve minority student access to higher education through school-college partnerships. The analysis distinguishes between partnerships whose efforts are focused on serving students directly and partnerships that promote…

Prince George's Community College (PGCC) created a Student Outcomes Report in December 1996 that measures course completion, retention, student achievement, program completion, transfer, and certification. Findings indicated that though the course pass rate was 75%, individual course completion ranged from 44% to 100%. Divisional pass rates ranged…

The report presents results of a study of: the type, content, duration, and intensity of instructional services provided to limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the United States; administrative procedures associated with these services (including procedures for identifying students for entry into and exit from these special services); the…

The technical appendixes are part of a study that explores the type, content, duration, and intensity of instructional services provided to limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the United States; administrative procedures associated with these services (including procedures for identifying students for entry into and exit from these…

This document consists of the 19 articles published in the Electronic Journal "Education Policy Analysis Archives" for the year 1996: (1) "The Achievement Crisis Is Real: A Review of 'The Manufactured Crisis'" (Lawrence C. Stedman); (2) "Staff Development Policy: Fuzzy Choices in an Imperfect Market" (Robert T.…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment which, for the first time in the NAEP's history, made voluntary state-by-state assessments. This 1992 mathematics report marks the first attempt of the National Center for Education Statistics to shift to standards-based reporting of National…