The Career Preparation Assessment (CPA) portfolio is an interdisciplinary, performance-based assessment of skills essential for the post-high school world. The CPA's value as an assessment tool was examined in a pilot test that was conducted in 1996-1997 with six California high schools. The following three data collection activities were…

This paper describes a 1994 survey of New England colleges and universities regarding the professional services that faculty were engaging in and the policies and structures that supported such activities. Questionnaires were mailed to deans and chief academic officers at 225 institutions of higher education in New England; 120 institutions…

Three tech prep teachers and one counselor at a Vermont high school examined tech prep's effectiveness in influencing students' career decisions and their intentions to receive postsecondary education. Three methods were used to collect data at the end of the third 9-week quarter of the school year: analyzing students' course selections, grades,…

This paper reports on a needs assessment, conducted in two elementary schools in Quebec, that examined the use that teachers are making of the computer facilities, as well as their skill and confidence levels in this area. The first section provides a general description of the project, details the sources of information, and discusses the reasons…

The provision of vocational education and training (VET) delivered by Australia's adult and community education (ACE) sector was examined to identify the strengths the ACE sector brings to VET provision and challenges faced by the ACE sector in providing VET programs. Data were collected through the following four activities: (1) a literature…

This evaluation of the Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity program focused on key Telecommunity objectives of technology deployment, teacher professional development, and student impact. Evaluation methods included use of the Scales of Concern Questionnaire in the application of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, as well as visits to each of the 23…

The purpose of this study was to investigate six preservice teachers' understandings of the theory and practice of teaching and learning foreign languages during their course work and field experiences in a teacher education program. The participants in the study were full-time students in a year-long graduate-level program. This paper focuses on…

Since the organization of the United States Bureau of Education in 1867 statistics of public libraries have appeared periodically in the annual reports. It has been the purpose to gather such statistics every five years, but it has not been possible to carry out the plan with perfect regularity. For forty years every annual report of the bureau…

This study examined the talk of 20 university level learners of Mandarin as a Second Language in three instructional modes: teacher-led (TL), unstructured group work (UGW), and structured group work using a cooperative learning technique (SGW), in this case, Jigsaw. Statistical analyses showed that more learner talk (in terms of turns and c-units)…

All languages change (Fromkin and Rodman 1993). Language educators must be aware of these changes and help keep their students up to date with them. One area of change in the English language is the controversial shift from gender-exclusive language, such as "Everyone should do his duty" and "Man has done great damage to the…

This study evaluated whether the addition of a writing section to the SAT Reasoning Test™ (referred to as the SAT® in this study) would impact test-taker performance because of fatigue caused by increased test length. The study also investigated test-takers' subjective feelings of fatigue. Ninety-seven test-takers were randomly assigned to three…

This bulletin aims to describe the administrative practice and experience of the correspondence-study departments of the universities of the United States. Correspondence-study secretaries and extension division directors may find this experience and practice of use in meeting their own problems and in evolving their own administrative systems.…

Discusses the need to polish the foreign language skills of second-language teachers during their professional training. This training should concentrate primarily on the improvement of confidence in spontaneous target language use and grammatical accuracy and should also emphasize pedagogical development and reflection. (one reference) (CK)

Describes the findings of a questionnaire and interviews to determine the level of understanding, attitudes, and involvement in environmental education and action. Also measured environmental teaching experience, explored perceived needs and demand for future environmental courses, and the involvement of management in responsible decision-making…

Describes a series of eight project activities designed to increase student communication and assess student understanding during a unit on functions and relations. Discusses different methods of evaluation and students' reactions to the activities. (MDH)