A pedagogy for critical literacy, as it is a pedagogy for learning to locate oneself in history, can make it possible for students to begin reclaiming their voices, and their rights to authorship, by enabling them to discover the social construction of their voices in contradiction. (Author/BJV)

This study evaluated procedures for establishing a minimum performance standard for the essay subtest of the National Teacher Examinations Communications Skills test. Results indicated the preferred procedure for setting standards on essays should involve a blind review followed by an informed review. (Author/DWH)

Explains a five-step study strategy (PORPE) that can be used in any content area: Predicting potential essay questions to guide subsequent study; Organizing key ideas using own words; Rehearsing the key ideas; Practicing the recall of the key ideas in self-assigned writing tasks; and Evaluating the completeness, accuracy, and appropriateness of…

Nine years after the National Science Education Standards' release, just how well do science teachers in grades 5 to 8 actually use them to plan content, define improved teaching, and assess real learning? Find out the answers to these key questions in this groundbreaking collection of 15 essays by teachers, researchers, and professors whose…

In this collection of 15 essays, educators describe successful programs they've developed to fulfill the National Science Education Standards' vision for the reform of teaching, assessment, professional development, and content at the high school level. All the visions correspond with the Less Emphasis and More Emphasis conditions that conclude…

People with disabilities are present and visible at universities and postsecondary institutions as never before. This reflects changes in societal attitudes, law, public policy, and government programs, and, perhaps most important, the views disabled people have of themselves. The growing presence of this new "minority" on campus poses…

This book is a short edited volume that brings together in one place, the best scholarly articles in charter schooling by national experts and leaders, written in a user-friendly fashion. It is the ideal introduction for those interested in the charter school movement with numerous insights for and by charter operators, administrators, and…

David Bartholomae's notion of "Writing on the Margins" is intriguing. He claims that good writers are those who "poise themselves on the margins in a tenuous and hesitant relationship to the language and methods of the university." This paradox is captivating because the margins serve as a place to which one is banished for not…

A study investigated the concurrent validity of the cloze test administered with an essay test to Korean university students. Subjects were 129 students enrolled in English-as-a-Second-Language courses in Korea. A seventh-word deleted cloze test and a descriptive essay test were administered. Analysis of results indicate a significant correlation…

This handbook presents materials for 10 DESK (Developing English Skills and Knowledge) workshops designed to assist students with deafness or hearing impairments make a smooth transition from high school to postsecondary institutions by enhancing their English writing skills. The workshops address: (1) demystifying college by allowing students to…

College students reacted very positively to an introductory U.S. history survey course which required them to analyze what happened and why and to communicate cogently the results of the analyses in essays. The four major themes for structuring the course are discussed. (RM)

Presents an oral narrative created by a Mexican- American child based on a picture story, and contrasts it with an essay-oriented narrative to demonstrate that essayist literacy as taught in school constrains interpersonal relationships and personal/cultural identity, and serves to maintain the standards of the dominant culture. (MJL)

Term papers written by 42 students in two subjects were assessed by their classmates and by lecturers in the relevant subjects. No difference occurred between lecturers and students in average marks, variations in marks, agreement in marks (reliability), or relationship between marks and performance in final examinations (validity). (Author/MSE)

For this study, high school students studied a brief history text and then: (1) answered a short-answer test; (2) answered a multiple-choice test; or (3) completed a questionnaire about study habits. Results concerning the effectiveness of these procedures on retention of material are discussed. (Authors/CJ)

Some practical tips for college students on how to succeed in getting good grades are provided. Different strategies for taking multiple choice and essay tests, and hints on how to write term papers are discussed. (MLW)