This essay discusses the prospect of utilizing well-confirmed knowledge to enhance the chances for the schooling success of every student in today's elementary schools through secondary schools. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the state of practice. The balance of the paper illustrates an efficient way to apply research and practical…

This book is designed to provide the occupational teacher with knowledge of the basic principles and methods of measurement, test construction, and evaluation that can be applied in the classroom and used to assess student progress. Because no one occupation receives most of the attention, the book can be readily used in general occupational…

This document contains 48 pieces of writing that were authored by employees of six different businesses who participated in an adult diploma program. A variety of genres are represented, including poems, personal narratives, book reviews, essays, letters, and fiction. The works are grouped under the following broad headings: goals, freedom,…

Problems inherent in the holistic scoring of essay examinations written by limited-English-speakers are examined, particularly in the context of one California state college in which English writing skills, holistically assessed, are required for graduation. These problems include lack of interrater reliability, raters' perceptions of their role,…

In 1982, writing was added to the North Carolina Annual Testing Program. Results from the 1990-91 writing evaluations in grades 6 and 8 are reported. Tests were read by two readers, with an agreement rate of over 71%. In 1990-91, sixth-grade students were asked to describe a kitchen so that readers could picture it. Quality was determined on the…

This collection includes 13 essays on various aspects of learning and elementary education. Individual essays describe, discuss, evaluate, or make recommendations about: (1) the urban school curriculum; (2) individually guided education; (3) in-service teacher education; (4) design of the science curriculum; (5) use of psychology in mathematics…

In 1983-84, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administered a 15-task writing assessment in grades 4, 8, and 11. The tasks involved informative, persuasive, and imaginative writing, and were evaluated at one of four levels of success: unsatisfactory; rudimentary or minimal performance; satisfactory; or detailed and controlled…

This study examines the relationship between selected teacher and student verbal behaviors occuring during social science concept instruction and the residual class mean scores of third, fourth, and fifth grade students on a test of the social science concept specialization. Twenty pre-service teachers and two experienced teachers were the teacher…

Defining Native studies programs in Canada and the U.S., this essay presents: (1) Rationale for Native Studies (recognition on the part of the majority of cultural differences; the emergence of an affirmative Native identity; and declining enrollments in colleges); (2) Structural Organization Alternatives (as part of an existing department; as an…

A technique to help English as a second language students master the basic elements of expository prose is considered in terms of course objectives and the types of assignments used to accomplish them. A characteristic of many highly verbal students entering a college program is their propensity to "talk on paper" in an informal, ungrammatical,…

Following a summary of what is presently known about transfer skills, the options available for assessment of transfer skills are identified and problems inherent in that task examined. Transfer skills (the ability or capacity of the learner or worker to transfer skills or knowledge from prior experiences to new ones) are discussed using the work…

The writing examination package is divided into three volumes: Examination Handbook (present volume), Training Manual, and a Ratings Manual. The volumes are interdependent, and all three must be understood before using the Training Manual to train raters. The Examination Handbook provides a context for the other two volumes. It gives a general…

This book contains papers first presented at the September 1976 Symposium on the Federal Interest in Financing Schooling. Participants responded to three questions. First, given what we know about federal goals in education, how appropriate are the areas in which federal involvement is currently concentrated? Second, how effective are existing…

The role of postsecondary accreditation and its relation to student consumer protection are discussed in this monograph. The importance of this concept is examined in light of increased marketing efforts on the part of higher education institutions. It is emphasized that students are consumers and their rights should be protected. Possible areas…

Thirty-nine articles provide a composite picture of American education as it has developed during the past 200 years. Most of the articles are written by educators. Vignettes of daily routines in a one-room schoolhouse in 1775 and a description of how a log college was built in Pennsylvania in the 1770s indicate the process and philosophy of…