When teachers present students with real topics in science and social studies instead of artificial, abstract writing exercises, the students will both develop and extend their interests and learn to think and communicate clearly about them. Choosing such a topic provides an opportunity to discuss student interests. Next, list building and small…

To revitalize humanities courses and to improve student thinking, a workshop for faculty members of the University of the Sacred Heart (Puerto Rico) will cover two models of collaborative learning, collaborative group work and peer criticism. In collaborative group work, students should be able to learn how to reach a consensus about a specific…

This National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Yearbook shows how NCTM's recommendations for improving mathematics education--contained in the booklet, An Agenda for Action--are being implemented in schools. The 27 articles are grouped under 8 headings, corresponding to the 8 recommendations in the Agenda. The articles apply to all levels…

New Mexico school districts participated in the 1980-81 Statewide Testing Program at grades 5, 8, and 11, to measure achievement in basic skills using the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Longitudinal comparisons by years (1979, 1980, and 1981) and grade level, and item analyses assessing students' performance in meeting instructional…

This module, the third of four units about vocational competency measurement, is module 19 in the Vocational Education Curriculum Specialist series. The purpose stated for the document is to help in the development of both written and performance competency tests based on the needs identified for testing a particular program and the standards and…

Standardized tests of writing ability have individual and shared limitations and deficiencies that should be acknowledged by test designers and users. Most institutions use the portions of standardized tests that test ability to proofread and edit, but they do not use the optional essay sections that actually require students to write. To assure…

The purchase of fraudulent medical degrees and credentials and the provision of medical care by unqualified people posing as doctors are the subject of these hearings before the U.S. House of Representatives. Investigations revealed the following findings: U.S. citizens who graduated from foreign medical school have received medical licenses…

This paper presents one researcher's premise that the most important variable in determining classroom effectiveness is the congruence of the delivered curriculum with the desired outcomes or, that students be given the opportunity to learn what is expected of them. This theory presupposes that curriculum expectations be made clear to students,…

Divided according to grade level, the objectives in this high school English curriculum guide cover such categories and strands as reading readiness, word analysis, obtaining information, studying, listening, written expression, speaking, literature, and linguistics. Each objective in the guide is coded for the narrower subskills within each…

A study of the differences in achievement among Ottawa's grade 9 and 10 students taught in English and French in three subject areas (mathematics, geography, and history) in which suitable comparative measures were available had as subjects the students in 73 classes. The students in French-language classes were administered the test twice, once…

This instructional training package introduces practitioners to methods for developing, validating, using, and reporting criterion-referenced tests. It provides a comprehensive presentation of criterion-referenced testing technology. The package emphasizes the most recent substantive and technological advances in the field that are both important…

This bibliography from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) covers the period 1934-1984 and contains NZCER imprints; works by NZCER staff; and articles, papers, and other documents owing their intellectual or material origins to NZCER. It is organized into 22 broad types of readings which are then arranged by year of…

This issue of a biannual journal for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas within the areas of communication, language skills acquisition and instruction, and cross-cultural training and learning includes these articles: "Oral Interactive Testing at a Japanese University" (Eloise Pearson); "Classroom Organisation and the Teacher" (Armand…

The course of study of time-of-day effects on human performance has not been an easy one to chart, with many findings that seem to be in opposition. This review examines the difference between group and individual differences with regard to time-of-day effects; time-of-day effects in individuals; morningness-eveningness as an individual…

Concern over reports that North Carolina elementary school students performed below the national norms in reading achievement led to the establishment of a pilot program to improve reading skills in grades one through three. The Primary Reading Program was initiated in 117 classrooms in 40 schools throughout the state; 117 control classrooms from…