The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) launched the "Maryland and Your World" project in 1983. The purpose of this project is to assist local school systems in implementing guidelines established by MSDE's curricular framework for the social studies. Goal four of this framework focuses on the ideas, institutions, and processes…

The Second International IEA Science Study (SISS) had participants from 24 countries. In this report the data collected in 17 countries are analyzed and reported. Students from the 5th, 9th, and 12th grades were tested. The results from achievement tests, student questionnaires, opinionnaires, a science teaching and learning inventory, a word…

An in-depth investigation of the inner components of cooperative learning methodologies was made, concentrating on five basic research questions. These were: (1) Do teacher's focusing questions and interaction with students during cooperative learning facilitate students' critical thinking skills? (2) In what ways do cooperative learning groups…

Factors promoting or detracting from the effectiveness of collaborative projects between colleges and schools were investigated. Of concern were three projects undertaken collaboratively between a four-year state college in Massachusetts and the local public schools during a 2-year period. The In-service Project provided opportunities for teachers…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. This document is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. This document is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides…

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between academic achievement and demographic and school background variables for school districts and school buildings and to develop from these relationships a basis for comparing achievement at similar schools. The sample consisted of Iowa public school districts that participated in…

This seven-chapter report presents information on the 1980 assessment of students' science performance in the province of Manitoba. Chapter I describes the nature of and steps involved in the assessment. Chapters II, III, and IV present, analyze and discuss achievement and attitude results for grades 5, 8, and 11, respectively. Achievement results…

Results of the 1987 assessments of grades 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11 in South Carolina public schools are summarized. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U, was administered to 222,956 South Carolina students in these grades. Achievement levels of grades 4, 5, and 7 were above the national median in all seven areas tested (reading, spelling,…

The effectiveness of an instructional improvement project in the Greeley-Evans Schools, Colorado, was studied. Teachers were provided inservice education in a class called the Essentials of Instruction. Recognizing that receiving training was not the same as being an implementer of the innovation, the Levels of Use instrument identified teachers…

Formal definitions are one example of "decontextualized" language use, in which reliance on background knowledge shared with the interlocutor is minimized, and use of conversational devices is avoided. Definitions of English nouns by 137 second- to fifth-grade children, about half of whom were non-native English speakers, were analyzed…

A study of the pronunciation problems of language-minority children had as subjects 578 first, third, and fifth-graders from seven ethnolinguistic groups (urban and rural Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, Franco-Americans, Native Americans, and Chinese-Americans) from low to low-middle income communities in California, Texas,…

The field testing project evaluated a guide to help 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teachers introduce students to musical concepts through a series of ten 30-minute television programs (see ED 143 596). The formative evaluation focused on the appropriateness of program materials for the intermediate grades, the ability of the curriculum to affect learner…

Teachers can use this fifth-grade level social studies framework to develop programs best suited to their students' needs. There are two main sections to the guide: a teacher notebook and a syllabus. The teacher notebook elaborates on the key features of the program, suggesting relevant classroom applications. Discussed are concept and skill…

This guide presents the "minimum teaching essentials" published by the New York City Board of Education for grades 5-9. The bulletin begins with an overview of each subject area. Subject areas are grouped together under grade levels and information on instructional content is provided. Skills and knowledge objectives for each area are…