This book examines the conditions for learning from the perspective of those students for whom schools are not productive and satisfying settings. Both current and desired characteristics of school environments are examined from the standpoint of their effect on marginal students. Questions probed include how difficulties begin and why individuals…

The reading learning objectives for fifth graders contained in this volume are congruent with the Texas "State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum." These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for use by teachers and other educators responsible for student instruction and for test development specialists involved…

Beginning with the 1985-86 school year, the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) tests have been based on the objectives provided in this publication for teachers and test development specialists. The writing skills objectives for grade 7 require: (1) knowledge of standard capitalization; (2) knowledge of standard punctuation;…

In 1985-86, after five years of implementation, the New York City (New York) Public Schools transferred responsibility for the Promotional Policy Program to the community school district. This report provides information about the success of the remedial reading program under this new organization in terms of student outcomes. Promotional…

The mathematics curriculum provides a framework of instruction for exceptional child education in grades K-12. Content areas include: numeration, whole numbers, rational numbers, real/complex numbers, calculator literacy, measurement, geometry, statistics, functions/relations, computer literacy, and pre-algebra. The guide is organized by content…

Based on telephone interviews with educational officials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, an overview of the use and impact of standardized tests in the United States during the 1986-87 school year was developed. In addition to interviewing officials from all state departments of education, officials from 56 sample school districts…

First presented as papers in a symposium on literacy conducted at the University of Alabama, essays in this volume explore three areas of human literacy--law, linguistics, and the English language; testing; and literacy's relation with culture and human consciousness. Following an introduction examining literacy as a human problem, the following…

The 11th annual report from the New Jersey Basic Skills Council provides information on the level of basic skills (verbal, computation, and elementary algebra) among freshmen admitted to New Jersey's public colleges and universities. Proficiency levels are estimated from performance on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT).…

This study was designed to examine the extent to which Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) constructing meaning scores correlate with Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) reading scores and with performance on ITBS items dealing with literal meaning, inferences, and generalizations. In addition, this study assessed the ability of the IGAP reading…

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has had a competency-based vocational instructor approval process for more than two and one-half decades. Perhaps the most important element in this process has been the vocational competency testing. Although some say that Massachusetts is out of step, others feel that Massachusetts has a well-established testing…

In 1987, the administration of North Carolina Competency Tests to public school sophomores resulted in 94.4% passing the reading test and 90.6% passing the mathematics test. Rates were similar to rates for the 1986 sophomores, but were higher than rates for juniors in the 1978-1983 period. The 1987 passing rate in mathematics was lower than for…

This progress report describes the development and field testing of the School Mastery of Reading Test (SMRT). The SMRT was administered in May 1986 to 889 fourth graders in nine schools in Brooklyn, New York. Counts of students tested in each school and school profile data are provided. Machine scoring procedures are detailed, and results…

This report provides a record of student achievement for the State of New York in the 1984-85 school year. It brings together a variety of achievement indicators with a clear focus on knowledge and higher-order skills. Three types of achievement data are presented. One consists of scores obtained on New York State (NYS) tests. These scores may be…

This book analyzes the ways in which majority and minority interests interact in the educational system. It begins with an examination of the excellence movement in American education, and then discusses an alternative approach through which, by emphasizing adequacy rather than insisting on excellence as an institutional requirement, minority…

Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh initiated an education reform package, "Turning the Tide: An Agenda for Excellence in Pennsylvania Public Schools" in October 1983. The statewide competency testing program which followed was "Testing for Essential Learning and Literacy Skills (TELLS), and it tested reading and mathematics…