This three-part document provides strategies for evaluating the impact of a province-wide testing program in Ontario (Canada) and reviews the literature on the impact of testing. Part One identifies the effects of province-wide examinations for selected high school courses and proposes four studies to monitor these effects: (1) an analysis of data…

Though most definitions of literacy focus solely on the uses of reading and writing, a sociocognitive perspective that incorporates social practices, conceptions of reading and writing, and literacy as a way of thinking is more productive. Within this view, literacy is culturally based, involves the higher intellectual skills, and is learned by…

This report describes a youth competency model that was developed to help trainers involved in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs in Kansas to evaluate program participants' competency in four major areas: pre-employment, work maturity, basic education, and job-specific skills. Discussed in the first section, which provides background on…

This document contains materials and suggested activities for use in a 5-day workshop on leadership development for instructional computer coordinators, computer education teachers, workshop leaders, teachers of teachers, and other people who play a leadership role in the workshop format in small group discussions, together with sharing and…

To assess the impact of the 1984 Alberta Education teacher evaluation policy, this study investigated the formal teacher evaluation practices of superintendents, other central office staff, and principals in Alberta (Canada) in 1983-84. A three part, mailed questionnaire based on existing instruments collected: (1) demographic data on the…

A study compared the benefits of using the Hewlett-Packard HP-41CV hand-held computer, as opposed to conventional training without computers, in teaching mathematics to fire control systems repairers. Thirty soldiers in a course to train fire control systems repairers received training in technical mathematics using the hand-held computer, whereas…

This project was conducted to implement a word processing unit of study within the office practice classes at Pottstown (Pennsylvania) Senior High School, using microcomputers. An additional purpose was to provide access to microcomputer accounting applications in the office practice classes. During the project, the following activities were…

The University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka) developed two courses in English for engineering students, one for technician-level diploma students and one for bachelor's degree-level students. The first step was a needs analysis, conducted through questionnaires and informal meetings with students and faculty, observation of subject lectures and…

Evaluation of a French and Spanish second language program in grades four through seven of a rural school system has begun with a formative evaluation for the first three years and will conclude with a one-year summative evaluation. The research questions focus on four concerns: (1) school personnel and parent perceptions of the program during its…

Language problems are likely the strongest single barrier to success facing limited English proficient (LEP) immigrants to the United States. Therefore, instruction in English as a second language (ESL) for immigrants must be given a high priority. Vocational ESL (VESL) provides adult immigrants with English skills on an as-needed basis in…

This student guide is designed to assist individuals who are either entering or reentering the job market in developing job hunting skills. Included in the guide are activities addressing the following aspects of finding and keeping a job: first steps in looking for a job (identifying one's skills, interests, and personality traits); procedures…

Because of concern about the harmful effects of placing children in low reading groups, this study tested the following "sacred cows" in reading: (1) the use of informal reading inventories for grouping children in reading instruction, (2) the homogeneous grouping practices currently utilized in most classrooms in the United States, (3)…

Validity is a central issue in use of self-report data for the investigation of teacher thinking. "Triangulation," or use of several data sets to test, corroborate and elaborate each other, is one method for increasing validity of findings. This paper illustrates a process of triangulation of data obtained by three different data…

This guide was developed to meet the needs of the increasingly large number of nonliterate and semiliterate adult English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners in the Chicago metropolitan area. It is suitable for learners who are illiterate or semiliterate in their native languages, or who are literate in a language using a non-Roman alphabet. The…

A study examined whether patterns exist in the kinds and amounts of writing errors students make and whether teachers follow any sort of pattern in correcting these errors. Sixty compositions, gathered from a twelfth grade class taught by one teacher, were analyzed using the "McGraw-Hill Handbook of English." Student written errors were…