This report contains the selected descriptive analysis of the Anchor Test Study. Data originates in the public school segment of the national sample of grades 4, 5, and 6 who were administered the appropriate level of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT): Reading, Form F. A description of the determination of the data base, of the analyses and…

Results of nationwide studies show that standardized achievement test scores of public school children have declined since the mid-1960's, after decades of steady improvement. This seems to be true regardless of grade level, subject tested, or geographic area. Comparing Tacoma's performance with that of the nation and school systems like it as a…

The Southwest Regional Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (SWRL) is dedicated to the belief that individual differences among students do not stand in the way of universal quality instructional achievement in the nation's schools. Important steps towards the condition of universal instructionalized achievement are: (1) the…

The increasing use of educational performance or outcome measurements for a range of policy purposes points to new procedures for adjusting data for population composition. The purposes include: program formulation, budget resource allocation, grant-in-aid designs, performance incentive payments, consumer information for school selection, and…

The State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education are about to publish letter grades for each of the state's 4,015 public elementary, middle and high schools. These grades are part of "Education Yes!", Michigan's new school accreditation system. The familiar ABCD/F grades of their youth will provide parents and the…

Barriers to learning and teaching interfere with students' ability to participate effectively and benefit fully from classroom instruction and other educational activities. For school improvement efforts to succeed in ways that truly improve student achievement and student test scores, systemic changes must be made in how schools provide learning…

This report is an executive summary of two previously-released reports presenting findings from Wave 2: The Academic Achievement and Functional Performance of Youth with Disabilities and After High School: A First Look at the Postschool Experiences of Youth with Disabilities. Some key findings presented in the Overview include the following: (1) A…

Background: Multiplication and division by fractions are among the most troublesome concepts in the elementary mathematics curriculum. Recent studies have shown that preservice elementary teachers in the United States do not have deep understandings of these concepts. Effective ways to improve preservice teachers' conceptual understanding of these…

The present study is a pilot investigation of six alternative urban middle schools for students of color that follow the Nativity model. This model emphasizes small class and school size, extended instruction, and strong relationships with family. The six schools included in the study are found in five different urban locations in the United…

This study addressed the factors of Graduate Record Examination scores (GRE), race, gender, and undergraduate grade point average (GPA) as predictors of success on the Texas state administrator certification examination. The paper was presented as the entry point for expected discussion of the effects of high stakes accountability policies on the…

A study investigated the effect of test item type (multiple-choice or open-ended) on performance reading comprehension tests given in both the student's native language and a second language. Subjects were 24 native Arabic-speaking and 38 native Hebrew-speaking students at Haifa University (Israel), all enrolled in a course in English as a second…

A study was made of the prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills of adults in the United States by their highest level of educational attainment. In addition, the study examined the literacy skills of recent General Educational Development (GED) graduates. The data used in the study came from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey…

The report compiles information on Arizona's public school programs serving limited-English-proficient (LEP) students, including both bilingual education and English-as-a-Second-Language programs, as mandated by state law. It contains data submitted by school districts, schools, and charter schools concerning primary home language identification,…

The purpose of this study is to examine the content of the questions in a number of Advanced Placement Examinations and to attempt to identify content that is related to gender-based performance differences. Free-response questions for ten forms of the AP® Exams in U.S. History, European History, Biology, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics were…

In this study, the effects of computer assisted cooperative learning method on students' performance of using colours in art education were examined. 15 students at the ages between 12 and 15 who owned a personal computer and had access to the internet were selected to form the experimental group. 35 students at the same time age and education…