The development and preliminary evaluation of the Computerized Adaptive Testing System (CATSYS), a new testing package for IBM-compatible microcomputers, are described. CATSYS can be used to administer and score operational adaptive tests or to conduct on-line computer simulation studies. The package incorporates several innovative features,…

The project designed and developed a videodisc package that provides both assessment and related instruction programs for job-related mathematics problem solving, using simulations to provide direct access to vocational situations. The materials are intended to meet the needs of youth and young adults with mild mental handicaps in transition from…

The Southern Rural Development Center in cooperation with the University of Kentucky sponsored a workshop which brought together extension and research personnel interested in rural economic development concerns (i.e., inadequate water supplies, sewer systems, and schools). The proceedings include "Community Growth Management: The Land-Grant…

This report describes a training project undertaken as part of the Bank Street College Mathematics, Science and Technology Teacher Training Project (MASTTE) to introduce teachers to "The Voyage of the Mimi," a 13-part television drama and multimedia package designed to supplement the regular curricula for science and mathematics in the…

This manual is designed for teacher use for a 10-week course to prepare chronically unemployed adults to enter traditional clerical courses or job training programs offered by temporary-employment-agencies. The competency-based curriculum provides adults with basic skills in grammar, usage, reading, writing, listening, mathematics, keyboarding,…

Because density is unobservable and must be inferred from knowledge about weight and size, it is a difficult concept to teach and learn. Even after traditional instruction, many students still have an undifferentiated concept that mixes characteristics of both weight and density. In this study, researchers tested the effectiveness of a unit they…

This guide is intended to assist teachers in conducting a farm management simulation that has been designed to help vocational agriculture students acquire competency in both crop and livestock farming. The introductory section includes an overview of the simulation, planning considerations and suggested grading criteria, and a suggested sequence…

This simulation uses a science fiction setting to capture the unparalled adventure, danger, and uncertainty of the colonization period in United States history. The simulation can be done in small groups or individually, and value judgments affect the outcome of the simulation. The premise of the simulation is that due to overpopulation,…

Ideas for celebrating the U.S. Constitution in the classroom, on a schoolwide basis, or in the community are presented in this guide. Classroom activities are categorized into art, research and writing, and miscellaneous. Designing a class mural and a class seal are examples of suggested art activities. In carrying out research activities,…

This guide for teachers focuses on how microcomputers may be used in the home economics classroom and how the computer is affecting and changing family life. A brief discussion of potential uses of the microcomputer in educational settings is followed by seven major sections. Sections 1 and 2 provide illustrations and definitions for microcomputer…

Computer simulations of agricultural finance and management may be helpful to students preparing for agricultural careers. Simulations would provide problem definition and problem solving in realistic interactions with complex and ambiguous situations similar to those encountered in farming. The paper describes a major financial problem for…

The manual presents an overview of federal special education legislation and information about specific disabilities. The summaries of P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 focus on the rights afforded to handicapped children and their families under the law. Information on disabilities is…

Because it is a well-accepted fact that young persons have more than their share of automobile crashes and because the task of driving is a complex one that requires practice to be mastered, it is proposed that a careful human factors analysis of the task of driving be undertaken based on empirically demonstrated differences among driver groups.…

Student activity pages, teacher background information, and lesson ideas for teaching about law in social studies classrooms are presented. The first section, "Law and Alabama History," focuses on law at the state level. Included are a brief history of Alabama's court system and prison system, a summary of rules for safe driving, a law…

This collection of documents promotes simulation as an attractive topic in mathematics instruction that provides game-like activities likely to interest pupils, by illustrating the important ideas of probability and showing how mathematical models can be used in practical problems clearly relevant to everyday life. While computer programs written…