While a growing body of research reveals the beneficial effects of music on education performance the value of music in educating the young child is not being recognized. If research of students in the school system indicates that learning through the arts can benefit the "whole" child, that math achievement scores are significantly…

Web-based learning has been proposed as a convenient way to provide professional development experiences. Despite quantitative evidence that online instruction is equivalent to traditional methods (Russell, 2001), the efficiency of this approach has not been extensively studied among teachers. This case report describes learning in an online…

This is the 10th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District RUSD). Analysis continues to focus on the long-term historical trends in RUSD, comparing RUSD to nine peer school districts and the State of Wisconsin. RUSD peer districts are Wisconsin's largest (Milwaukee Public Schools are not included) and their…

Each child In Finland and in Estonia receives preschool training for a year before going to school, based on a new national framework curriculum of preschool education. The aim of the present study was to compare children's learning achievements in nine target areas, based on the teacher's evaluations at the end of the preschool year, in both…

In the 1992-93 school year, the 13th year of the Arizona Pupil Achievement Testing Program, the State Board of Education mandated testing at grades 4, 7, and 10. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered to grades 4 and 7 and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade 10. Pupil scores are reported by subject, subtest,…

This report contains 12 tables and 12 figures documenting the results for the General Educational Development (GED) tests in 1993. The tables and figures provide information on the following: testing volumes; percent tested by age group; credentials issued by age group; testing by language; testing by special editions and adaptations; highest…

This study investigated the efficacy of noncognitive variables and academic background for the prediction of college grade performance and persistence. A total of 7,377 new first-year college students participated in the study, completing demographic questionnaires at the start of the school year. Data were also collected on American College Test…

A job analysis was conducted to define the knowledge domain in which newly licensed (certified) mathematics teachers must be knowledgeable to perform competently. The results of the job analysis were to be used to develop test specifications for the Subject Assessment in Mathematics of the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning…

This report provides data on 1993-94 student outcomes, public relations, and changes in teaching, curricula, and learning at the Community College of Denver (CCD). Following a summary of CCD's success in meeting its accountability goals, section I reviews 1993-94 changes in teaching, curricula, and learning and section II notes plans to…

The relationship between selected contextual and socioeconomic variables and school-level results from a statewide performance-based student assessment system was studied using the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). KIRIS uses portfolios of student work, scores from on-demand assessments, and student performance on…

Despite the many limitations of standardized tests, schools use them to determine if children are ready for school, to group students for instruction, to diagnose learning disabilities and other handicaps, and to guide and control the curriculum and teaching methods. No test is good enough to serve as the sole or primary basis for important…

An item classification scheme developed by A. M. Gallagher (1990) was refined, resulting in a more accurate prediction of sex differences in the mathematical sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Differential Item Functioning (DIF) procedures for examinees scoring over 650 indicated that the majority of items favoring males required the…

The State Bilingual Education Program and the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 Migrant Education Program are used to meet the special education needs of bilingual and migrant students in the Saginaw (Michigan) city school district. These programs operated at 24 elementary schools, 4 junior high schools, and 2 high…

The requirement that home schooled students score at or above the 40th percentile on a nationally standardized test runs counter to several widely accepted principles of measurement. A single score should not be used alone in decision making, and there is no evidence that this is a valid use of the test. In addition, the 40th percentile is not an…

This report provides those who need to interpret scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the College Board Achievement Tests with information about college-bound seniors who have taken these tests. In addition, the report documents changes over time in the characteristics of students taking the tests. Information is based on the latest…