The writing examination package is divided into three volumes: Examination Handbook (present volume), Training Manual, and a Ratings Manual. The volumes are interdependent, and all three must be understood before using the Training Manual to train raters. The Examination Handbook provides a context for the other two volumes. It gives a general…

Results of the fifth year of testing by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1980, objective-referenced tests in mathematics and reading were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) in mathematics, reading,…

This study attempted to replicate and extend previous aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) findings for students' learning in large-group and small-group teaching approaches. Two elementary teachers each taught a two-week geometry unit to two classes of fourth- and fifth-grade students. One teacher used a small-group teaching approach and the…

POST-HIGH SCHOOL VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL STUDENTS WAS DEVELOPED, IMPLEMENTED, AND EVALUATED IN FIVE SCHOOLS IN TERMS OF ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE DIRECTION IN ESTABLISHING PRE-TECHNICAL PROGRAMS. READING SKILLS, STUDY SKILLS, MATHEMATICS, AND SCIENCE WERE OFFERED AS LEVEL A FOR ENTERING TRADE STUDENTS AND LEVEL B FOR ENTERING TECHNICAL STUDENTS.…

The increased use of criterion-referenced statewide testing programs is an outgrowth of the need for more diagnostic information for planning and decision making than is provided by norm-referenced programs. There remains, however, a need for state agencies to compare the results of local districts to a variety of comparison groups for the purpose…

The Quality Measurement Project was established in 1956 by the New York State Education Department to determine the feasibility of measuring quality differences between schools and of identifying variables related to these differences. In the latest revision of the project, begun in 1964, 99 representative school systems, excluding the New York…

Conducted in schools, separated into control and experimental groups by geography, size, and number of bilingual teachers, the study examined whether the: (1) language experience approach yielded higher scores on a reading attitude test, a standardized reading test in English and one translated into Spanish; (2) reading gains and school attendance…

The purpose of this topical review is to present Educational Policy Reform Research Institute's (EPRRI's) state-level qualitative findings collected during in depth interviews in the four core study states of California, Maryland, New York, and Texas. The data presented reflect the perspectives of state-level personnel who were involved with the…

Recent policy studies by the Education Trust and Heritage Foundation have tried to identify "high-flying" schools--schools that help students reach very high levels of achievement, despite significant disadvantages. This policy brief demonstrates three major problems with the findings of these reports. (1) Due to questionable…

In this study, we investigated factors related to students' performance on the ACT. We examined how students' background characteristics, academic achievement in high school, education-related accomplishments and activities, and perceptions of self and others affect their ACT scores. Of particular interest were the direct and indirect effects of…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Senate Committee Reports Education Spending Bill: Senate Appropriations Bill Continues Cuts to Education Funding;…

Improving education achievement in Luxembourg is a priority for strengthening productivity growth and enhancing residents' employment prospects in the private sector, where employers mainly hire cross-border workers. Student achievement in Luxembourg is below the OECD average according to the 2003 OECD PISA study, with the performance gap between…

This research project surveyed 80% of the K-5 classroom teachers (over 5,500) and every principal at 257 elementary schools in California serving large percentages of low-income, minority, and English Learner students. Specifically, 98% percent of the schools in the sample qualified for Title I funding. The goal was to identify which specific…

This collection of papers includes: "Introduction" (Roy D. Pea); (1) "Summary of Findings and Recommendations from the Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States" (President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, Panel on Educational Technology); (2) "National Educational…

Current research in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) field has not assessed the comparative ability of indirect and direct test scores to predict academic success. Work of this kind would inform practice in the area of testing and placement. This study investigates the practical problem of making appropriate placement decisions for students…