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 third edition of the "Mini-Digest of Education Statistics" provides a pocket-sized compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The statistical highlights provide a quantitative description of the current American education scene. The "Digest" is an easy…

The collection of discussion papers from an October 1995 conference in South Africa focuses on the implications of the country's new National Qualifications Framework (NQF), a policy initiative for reform and renewal of post-apartheid education, for language teaching and testing. Papers include: "Introductory Comments: Language Assessment and…

Teachers conducting a thematically organized literature-based reading program centered around student-led discussion groups wanted to explore ways in which the values they wanted to promote could be reflected in the ways they assessed their students. This study considers how valuing a broader scope of language and literacy abilities and making…

Some standard-setting methods require judges to estimate the probability that an examinee who just meets an achievement standard will answer each of a set of items correctly. These probability estimates are then used to infer the values on some latent scale that, in theory, determines an examinee's responses. The paper focuses on the procedures…

This newsletter theme issue presents highlights from the "Seventeenth Annual Report to Congress" on the implementation, impact, and effectiveness of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It presents 19 tables and 1 figure reproduced from the annual report. The issue covers: (1) funding for IDEA Part B and Chapter 1 of…

This publication contains seven peer-reviewed papers from a conference on college developmental education with the theme of student success. The papers are: (1) "Reversing the Academic Probation Dilemma" by John Foreman and Nancy Ann Rossi on programming for students on academic probation; (2) "Reading and Writing: Tools for Problem…

This policy paper outlines the impact that recent Title I legislation, which requires states to hold all students to the "same expectations," will have on state and local district evaluation plans, especially as regards students with disabilities. It notes the conflict between two educational goals: that of full inclusion of students…

This project investigated the acceptance of innovation and change as it related to a specific education change of prior learning assessment (PLA) at the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV) in British Columbia, Canada. The study explored the barriers that existed against students who wanted to have experiential and workplace learning…

This module is part of a set of management and supervisor training (MAST) materials developed by the Department of Energy for the Waste Isolation Division. Its stated purpose is to enable trainees to perform an accurate assessment of personal abilities, ethics, and standards. The first section of the module is an introduction that includes a…

Measuring students' progress toward higher achievement has been the purpose of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) since its inception in 1969. Students in public and nonpublic schools have been assessed in various subject areas on a regular basis, and the NAEP has also collected information about background variables that…

The Jail to Job program was developed to prepare soon-to-be released inmates of the Erie County Prison to seek employment and/or vocational/educational training. Forty-five inmates were assessed to determine their educational and ability levels, interests, and values. The inmates attended an 8-week (32-hour) course on the following topics:…

This paper characterizes the school effects literature that has been conducted over the past 25 years with a focus on urban elementary and secondary schools. The features of the research studies reviewed are explored, including dependent and independent variables employed, sources of data, research methods used, and the number and direction of…

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…