The status of American higher education is examined in this essay, with focus on such issues as institutional autonomy, the role of advanced education in society, access, and accountability. (LBH)

A list of points to aid essay writers is suggested as the basis of a marking system for the teacher of English as a foreign language. The checklist, obtained from a book on higher education by Ruth Beard, can be adapted to the English as a foreign language situation. (SW)

This article examines some geographical themes--such as migration and urban living--that are communicated by country music, and it illustrates the use of geographical themes for photo-music essays developed for the classroom. (Available from Southern Station Box 468, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401.) (Author/ND)

Applied research suggests that learning-disabled students can benefit from training in test-taking skills to improve their performance on both standardized tests and content area tests. Recommendations for classroom applications enumerate which skills are most important for objective, short answer, and essay question tests and suggest appropriate…

Reports the results of a follow-up study of students in order to determine if the social and historical perspectives taught as a part of a two-semester sociology course remained actively in use several years beyond graduation. Results showed that the students did not apply these perspectives to decision-making and other issues in their daily…

Relates Victorian attitudes toward education by a forgotten 19th century liberal educator concerned with proper moral education. Concludes that uses and development of basic literacy are severely bound by individual and social contexts and that basic literacy does not, in itself, wield a magical transforming power for learning and life. (TRS)

Describes a study that developed a valid method of assessing coherence based on current linguistic theory and discourse analysis that was then used to reanalyze the "Describe" essays written by 13- and 17-year-old students for the 1969, 1973-74, and 1978-79 NAEP assessments. (HOD)

The uses, advantages and disadvantages, preparation, and scoring of essay tests and oral tests are outlined and discussed, and sample questions of each type oriented to pharmaceutical instruction are provided. (MSE)

The writing assessment program in the Cherry Creek, Colorado, schools is described. Writing assessments for students in grades three, six, eight, and 10 have been developed. A holistic approach is used by teachers in scoring these instruments. Improvement of students' essay-writing ability indicates the value of the assessment program. (DWH)

Generally, teenagers aren't handling the written word as well today as they were when first tested by the National Assessment of Education Progress in 1969. (Editor) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Interpretation).

Describes a successful experiment in substituting individual research projects for the traditional term paper in a community college psychology course. Also discusses the factors contributing to educational innovation at a community college. (DC)

The objectives of this study guide are: (1) to increase student understanding of the prevalence of youth participation in violent conflict and the challenges to addressing this global issue; (2) to familiarize students with strategies for conflict prevention, management, and resolution; (3) to develop students' analytical reading, writing, and…

This experimental, statistical study investigated the effects that the testing of grammar and writing mechanics would have on the overall quality and reduction of errors in college students' essays for freshman composition. In the experimental group of 42 students, the professor assigned several exercises in grammar and mechanics as a review…

Since the writing section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) computer based test (CBT) is a single-prompt essay test, it is very important to ensure that each prompt is as fair as possible to any subgroups of examinees, such as those with different native language backgrounds. A particular topic of interest in this study is the…

This digest describes the three most prominent approaches to essay scoring by computer: (1) Project Essay Grade (PEG), introduced by E. Page in 1966; (2) Intelligent Essay Assessor (IEA), introduced for essay grading in 1997 by T. Landauer and P. Foltz; and (3) e-rater, used by the Educational Testing Service and developed by J. Burstein. PEG…