At this conference on educational assessment, there was consensus among participants on the importance of the use of assessment to improve instruction, enhance the curriculum, and allow policy makers to measure achievement. There was less consensus about the best forms of assessment to use. The following conference papers are provided in this…

To understand how assessment, particularly alternative assessment, and practice interactions may differ among schools with different implementation contexts and different school cultures, this project is studying over time a set of schools representing different state and local policy contexts and including different student populations. Research…

This book is a compilation of papers presented at a seminar on cognitive development in South Africa and one additional paper. The papers were intended to stimulate research and stress the need for program evaluations. Papers concerned: (1) an initiative to improve black primary school teachers' English language, thinking, and teaching skills, and…

This monograph describes 12 urban middle schools in 5 school systems as they work to apply the characteristics of successful communities to education. In some of these schools, racial segregation has been and continues to be a major feature. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (New York) has awarded grants of $400,000 each to school systems in:…

An instructional project designed a module on job interview skills for the Introduction to Occupations course, recommended for high school students by the New York State Board of Regents. The target population consisted of 16 students in grades 9-12, in the Carle Place Junior/Senior High School on Long Island. The majority of the subjects were…

Two Computers Unlimited elementary magnet schools have completed their first year of operation as part of the Long-Range Magnet School Plan in the Kansas City School District. The curriculum for the Computers Unlimited theme emphasizes basic skills, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. This formative evaluation report addresses the…

In spring 1992, a program was initiated at San Jose City College (SJCC) in California to assist underprepared student entering reading, writing, and math courses below the level of transfer English and math courses. The program entitled Gateway U (GU), included the following components: weekly surveys of students during the first 4 weeks of class…

This report documents the progress made by the Faxon Montessori Magnet School in Kansas City, Missouri, during the three years of its implementation of the Montessori philosophy. During the 1990-91 school year, the school served children from three years of age through third grade. School enrollment information was analyzed and data were obtained…

The Des Moines Public Schools' New Horizons Program provides supportive services such as counseling, attendance monitoring, career-related instruction, and work experience to dropout-prone high school students and their families in order to improve students' school achievement and increase their graduation rate. Program services make it possible…

In 1986, Illinois implemented the Children at Risk of Educational Failure preschool program. By the 1991-1992 school year, almost 25,000 children were enrolled in the program. This document reports on accessibility to, and community involvement in, the program, and instructional and evaluation practices used in the program. The section on…

The image and effectiveness of an economics and business department at a medium-sized Christian liberal arts college were assessed, in order to assist in departmental planning for the future. Using goals from the extended mission statement of the department, two groups of graduates were surveyed, 421 recent graduates who had graduated between 1…

A quasi-experimental, treatment-control group investigation was designed to test the effects of a preservice training course on effective instruction. Research findings from teacher effects research and cognitive strategy instruction were translated into two direct instructional models: one model for explicit or well-structured skills and one…

This document presents 10 papers concerning the 1990 Trial State Assessment, which was restricted to the eighth-grade public school population in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories. The following are the papers: (1) "A Critique of Sampling in the 1990 Trial State Assessment" (Bruce D. Spencer); (2)…

Papers and task force reports are as follows: "Possibility and Plurality: The Futuring of Adult Education" (Greene); "Adult Education in an Information Age" (Steele); "Fulfilling the Promise of Adult and Continuing Education" (Quigley); "Imperatives for Planning Impactful Continuing Education Programs" (Knox); "Graduate Education for the 1990's:…

The Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) program was designed to study what happens when "tomorrow's" educational resources, such as individual computer support, are available in the classroom. Student achievement and attitudes were evaluated at five elementary school and secondary school sites located in four states and encompassing…