One of a series of papers on critical issues in vocational-technical education, this paper presents an overview of (1) manpower supply and demand factors, (2) techniques for geographic allocation of resources, and (3) strategies for curricular prioritization and determination as they relate to program planning for vocational education. Emphasis is…

State departments of education were surveyed to determine the status of social studies in the United States. Supplemental background data were also gathered from local school districts and previous research. The purpose of the survey was to obtain information on course offerings, enrollments, and requirements in social studies. Some limitations of…

The study investigated the prediction of grade point average (GPA) for disadvantaged and regular freshmen at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the effectiveness, in terms of GPA, of an experimental program for disadvantaged students. Descriptive, variance, and correlational (single and multiple) analyses and chi square analyses related…

The change rates of sizes of groups with different educational levels are determined by demographic processes (death rates, ages, migration) and by recruitments from learning institutions and losses caused by moves into higher educational groups. The interrelationship of reproduction of individuals with different training is determined by shifts…

The rate of return on the student's investment in college is the measure of productivity which relates the costs of resources expended in instruction to the values of benefits produced by instruction. Costs, which are concentrated in a brief span of years in early adulthood, and the stream of benefits, which is spread over most of the remainder of…

Discusses importance of academic planning and describes a model-based decision support system for academic units in a university hierarchy. This system integrates macro-level decisions by examining individual departments' budgets to determine future plans. Quantitative techniques for forecasting change are reviewed, including use of spreadsheet…

One issue that must be addressed in determining sponsorship of required postdoctoral dental education programs is the long-term prediction of the population to be served and the institution's ability to serve it. (MSE)

Presents eight responses from individuals reacting to Suprenant's and Perry-Holmes's article entitled "Reference Librarian of the Future" (RQ, Winter, 1985). Topics covered in the responses include the information poor, information consultants, information interpretation, library education, the human element, revitalizing reference…

Low IQ should not be deemed as an index of poor learning ability. Information about middle school children's learning efficiency as measured by the Learning Efficiency Test Battery was found to be more useful for predicting reading ability than conventional types of assessment. (Author/RM)

Describes using high school chemistry grades along with mathematics scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test to predict college chemistry grades. Discusses rationale for the choice of predictive measures, the effect of teaching assistants, and supplemental study skills workshops on the grade received. (JM)

Each year, Montana students participate in testing as part of the state's assessment program. This past spring, students in grades 4, 8, and 10 took Montana Comprehensive Assessment System (MontCAS) tests in reading and mathematics. These tests serve as an important measure of student achievement for the state's accountability system. Results from…

Each year, Nevada students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7 participate in testing as part of the Nevada assessment program. Students in grades 3 and 5 take the Nevada Criterion Referenced Assessment (Nevada CRT) while students in grades 4 and 7 take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). These tests serve as an important measure of student achievement for…

Each year, Pennsylvania students participate in testing as part of the Pennsylvania assessment program. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 take tests in reading and math while those in grades 6, 9 and 11 are assessed in writing. These tests serve as an important measure of student achievement for the state's accountability system. Results from these…

Each year, South Carolina students participate in testing as part of the South Carolina assessment program. Students in grades 3 through 8 take the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT) in English/Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in grade 10 take the High School Assessment Program (HSAP) in English/Language Arts and mathematics. These…

This study investigated the relationship between the scales used for the ISTEP+ assessments and the RIT scales used to report performance on Northwest Evaluation Association tests. The RIT scale was developed using Rasch scaling methodologies. RIT-based tests are used to inform a variety of educational decisions at the district, school, and…