Two types of computerized testing have been defined: (1) computer-based testing, using a computer to administer conventional tests in which all examinees take the same set of items; and (2) adaptive tests, in which items are selected for administration by the computer, based on examinee's previous responses. This paper discusses an option for…

This paper describes a computerized environment for teaching the conceptual patterns of critical literacy. While the full implementation of the software covers both reading and writing, this paper covers only the writing aspects of R-WISE (Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment). R-WISE consists of a suite of computerized…

A pilot program of teacher education was conceptualized in response to the increased diversity within the elementary classroom and a growing realization that evolving service delivery paradigms in the public schools suggest a need to examine how educators are being prepared for this environment. The College of Education and individual faculty…

Education in contemporary society is no longer the selective enterprise for which a product evaluation approach is appropriate. Process evaluation, however, complements a new view of education--education offers all students opportunities for individual growth. A process approach focuses on what is understood. Focusing on learning activity and…

This document contains six papers describing program-based research from rural literacy program in Ontario, Canada. Some of the reports describe action research from pilot projects. The papers raise questions about responding to the special challenges of rural needs, such as whether there is an additional expense to providing service of equal…

Current research at Brigham Young University (BYU) determined that basic visual literacy instruction is needed in disciplines outside of the arts. Following a needs assessment survey of BYU's 83 departments, an honors general education Arts and Letters course in visual literacy was piloted in the 1996 winter semester. Lectures were presented by…

While Purdue University Calumet (PUC) (Hammond, Indiana) has been a receiver of distance education for a number of years, a number of faculty expressed interest in developing courseware that would allow PUC to be a provider. After a distance education mission statement and goals were outlined, a pilot course was established. The distance education…

Six articles by Lynn Olson, published in various issues of "Education Week" starting in January 1993 and ending May 1995, describe a Maryland project to improve elementary education in the State: (1) "Winning NASDC (New American Schools Development Corporation) Project Takes Flight" (the basic skills children need to succeed in…

The Multimedia and Literature Teaching and Learning project was initiated to explore the potential of multimedia and hypermedia for supporting the response-based teaching and learning of literature. The project's initial phase involved developing criteria for considering hypermedia from a response-based perspective and then applying these to a…

While national debates focus on rising immigration and its impact, current data on immigrants and how they affect the national life are limited. To determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey of immigrants, a pilot project surveyed Salvadorans and Filipinos in Los Angeles in 1991. This report addresses key methodological issues in…

A theory of portfolio assembly is presented and used to guide analysis of portfolios. Features of a portfolio evaluation approach known as the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP) are outlined. This model assumes that portfolios begin as relatively simple collections and gradually grow into complex, articulate stories of knowing. It is…

A study examined the background, methods, and results of the pilot year of Vermont's Writing Assessment program. Students and teachers from 46 Vermont schools were invited to participate in the 1990-91 pilot year of portfolio assessment. Students in grades 4 and 8 chose samples of their best writing from the school year. Each portfolio was…

The New Jersey Department of Education asked Research for Better Schools, Inc., to design and conduct a study of the Cognitive Pilot Program of the Broad Based Component of the state's Urban Initiative. The purpose was to provide descriptive information about the implementation of the program in all 21 pilot program sites and of promising…

The Mentor Supported School Success Program was developed by the rural school district of Dorchester County, Maryland, as an effort to include students displaying troubling behaviors in regular classroom settings. The program offers supplementary support to current school programming through the use of mentors. In the first year of the program,…

This guidebook explains how to conduct a telephone survey that will gather the information necessary for new program needs assessment in the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education system. The guidebook is based on pilot assessments conducted by Fox Valley Technical College. The guidebook contains five sections: (1) introduction--why…