First-year students (n=255) at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania completed a survey instrument concerning human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), during the initial meetings of a general health course. Ninety-four percent of respondents had received information about HIV/AIDS at the secondary school level.…

Inconsistencies in scores from computer-simulated and "hands-on" science performance assessments have led to questions about the exchangeability of these two methods in spite of the highly touted potential of computer-simulated performance assessment. This investigation considered possible explanations for students' inconsistent performances: (1)…

The purpose of this study was to compare how learning outcomes are influenced by a number of key student composition (language background, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender) and school context variables on a direct writing performance assessment. The sample was randomly selected from a population of 13,604 third graders in 175 public…

Throughout Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, school systems and individual schools are experimenting with new approaches to management that seek to run schools in ways that are right for the 21st century. Those who manage these schools must take responsibility for an arduous task due to the complexity…

This paper reports on a study that focused on teacher participation in decision making, part of a larger study that looked at management styles in Czech basic schools. There was particular interest in areas of school functioning that went beyond the level of common teachers' work in the classroom. Questionnaires were submitted to school heads and…

This paper reports on a study to determine what management styles are being used at Czech schools and the possible reasons for these styles. The study also looked at participatory management in Czech schools and the possible hindrances to its wider adoption and development. Five basic questions were formulated: What management style is typically…

An online survey investigated the development of alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in state and district-wide assessment programs. Responses from all 50 states, American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Marshall Islands, Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. found there is a divergence in who is involved in…

A computing literacy course at Michigan State University for non-computer science students was designed with a fixed course structure and continuously changing course content. The structure provides feedback for assessing students and revising content to meet the changing demands of client departments, changing student experience, and changing…

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to answering questions using information gathered through direct observations,…

This paper reports on research to determine how a school's organizational conditions and conception of teaming relate to teachers' sentiments about their work. The study proposes that people shape their beliefs and actions in concert with the structures around them. Study participants were 42 teachers at four suburban middle schools that had…

This paper identifies the performance goals for Washington's community and technical colleges for 2000-2001. In the 1999 Budget Act, the State of Washington required that the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges "develop a biennial plan to achieve measurable and specific improvements each academic year as part of a continuing…

This study examines a feedback portfolio developed by student teachers in their secondary science methods courses. The portfolio preparation requires students to reflect and select their best five learning experiences during the course and provide a short explanation regarding the value of those experiences. This study also involves emergency…

Officials with the National Center for Education Statistics asked the National Research Center's Board on Testing and Assessment to convene a workshop to assist them with their decisions about reporting results for accommodating test takers. The day-long workshop brought together four panels of representatives from state assessment offices,…

This study examined factors that affect student learning and growth in four student populations: seniors who began as freshmen immediately after high school, students who transferred from two-year colleges, students who transferred from four-year colleges, and students who entered Bachelor of Arts programs after military service or work. The data…

This paper discusses the proposal by the United Kingdom government to introduce a performance management policy as the basis for organizing management and remuneration of teachers. The performance management model is firmly embedded within the dominant managerialist ideology which sets the context for restructured levels of the teaching force and…