This paper contends that much of the time and money devoted to standardized testing in the United States is misspent. Too many tests are poorly constructed, unreliable, and unevenly administered. Multiple-choice tests cannot measure thinking skills or real problem-solving ability. In addition, many examinations are biased racially, culturally,…

The Thinking Mathematics project, a joint effort of the American Federation of Teachers and the Learning Research and Development Center, had the primary objective of developing more efficient means of disseminating new knowledge about mathematics learning and instruction. The resulting practitioner-researcher collaboration developed an…

This booklet is one in a series on different education topics intended to help parents make the most of their child's natural curiosity and become an integral part of reaching the National Education Goals as set forth by the President and governors in 1990. The book suggests ways that parents can generate interest in mathematics in children aged…

The scaling of a new assessment is a significant undertaking. The scaling of a new assessment designed as a multiple-level, criterion-referenced assessment is even more so. A Guttman approach to scaling was used with the Work Keys selected-response assessments, Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics. Assessments in development in the Work…

In an effort to improve the writing performance of non-native English-speaking students in a college preparatory composition course, a project was undertaken to reduce problems of self-esteem caused by communication apprehension through a speech assignment involving critical thinking and peer reviews. To evaluate the effect of the assignment, the…

A study of individual variability in second-language learners' performance in specific classroom tasks is presented as evidence that instruction in language for special purposes (LSP) has an important role to play. Subjects were 17 Singapore university students in a remedial English course; all had studied English since elementary school. The…

The degree to which performance assessments meet their dual mandate to evaluate student learning and inform instructional practice is not adequately addressed through traditional concerns for reliability and validity. A possible approach is suggested for examining the cognitive activity students engage in during a performance assessment. The…

This handbook is intended to serve as a hands-on reference for technical trainers, many of whom are resident experts in corporations who have been recruited from within the organization rather than individuals with training background. It contains 23 chapters by experts in the field: (1) The History of Technical Training (Richard A. Swanson and…

The Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) research demonstration was initiated in 1984 to test the effects of a two-summer remediation, work, and life skills intervention on the lives of 14- and 15-year-olds from poor urban families who were already seriously behind academically. The program provided youth with half-day summer jobs combined…

This curriculum for a 1-semester or 1-year course in product design and planning contains information about the following topics: creativity, idea production techniques, problem solving, design fundamentals, design requirements, graphic communication, materials and processes, and safety. Course content is organized around the laboratory activities…

This document provides a curriculum that is comprised of workplace-specific literacy methods, materials, and assessment techniques that are customized yet broadly applicable. A process section introduces the curriculum by describing its development process. It discusses staff development, needs assessment, competency development, materials…

This report describes an evaluation of Project SELF HELP, a school-based family literacy program serving parents and other caretakers, elementary school age children, and preschool children 2 days per week during the school year. A summer reading program was also available to families. The evaluation was conducted in 1992-1993 to inform program…

Intended primarily for preservice elementary classroom teachers, this book focuses on preparing teachers for literacy education as it is practiced today, giving them the background knowledge, will, and wisdom to find other and better ways. The book is based on three assumptions: teachers must participate in examining and defining their philosophy…

This article discusses second language vocabulary learning strategies and includes an analysis and classification of possible strategies and the report of a study conducted among second language learners in Japan. Research on vocabulary learning strategies is synthesized into two lists of strategies: 14 methods for initial learning of a new word's…

During 1992, CEDEFOP (the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) commissioned two projects to investigate the current situation with regard to databases on vocational qualifications in Member States of the European Community (EC) and possibilities for networking such databases. Results of these two studies were presented and…