A study found no significant differences in the academic outcomes of nurses choosing different pathways (transition courses, direct transfer, and advanced placement examinations) to achieving the Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree. However, transition students achieved the highest mean clinical performance score, and direct transfer…

Outlines the negative effects of tracking on minority group students, the characteristics of beneficial systems, and alternatives to tracking. Concludes that tracking is common practice in American public education and that rigid tracking creates problems of student isolation by socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Suggests criteria for evaluating…

Describes a nationwide pilot project to incorporate intensive journalistic writing into honors or Advanced Placement English courses. Discusses how 15 experienced high school journalism teachers and their classes participated in the project, which focused on improving students' writing and helping them prepare for the College Board's English…

Describes the author's experiences when she added an intensive journalistic writing component to an honors English class. Details how the course can be designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition Test. (MM)

Describes the author's experiences teaching two semesters of an advanced placement intensive writing class. Discusses problems encountered in the course, and notes curriculum differences between the first and second semester classes. (MM)

Diagnostic procedures aimed at labeling, selection, and placement in special schools for children designated in Germany as learning handicapped are compared with support and intervention-oriented strategies. Construction and administration of alternative diagnostic instruments and approaches such as inventories and surveys are examined.…

The article suggests that computer expert systems that do not require exotic languages and machines will soon be applied in human services to help decision making in the areas of eligibility determination, casework quality control, written service plans for clients or students, job placement, service acquisition, and policy interpretation.…

A discussion of special education placement of language-minority students with mild disabilities focuses on current eligibility criteria, proposing that problems in assessment, diagnosis, and placement reflect problems with larger issues in special education, especially continuing reliance on the psychometric paradigm. Reform attempts are…

Residency program directors were surveyed to determine whether a standardized "dean's evaluation" form submitted by deans of student affairs on behalf of senior medical students would suffice in conveying information desired for the residency selection process. Program directors were asked to rate each subpart of this suggested form.…

Finds that, among 544 fourth-sixth graders, Chinese-Americans identified as fluent English proficient or reclassified as such after bilingual education equaled or surpassed non-minority classmates in reading, language, and mathematics achievement scores, but showed intragroup differences by socioeconomic status, point of origin, dialect, and years…

The paper compares current practices of identifying students with special educational needs in Australia and Scotland. Noted are problems generated by the abandonment of a category-based approach to such children. Australian and Scottish practice are also compared to United States' experience in light of Public Law 94-142. (Author/DB)

The report provides an overview of recent population figures, types of educational programs, and current issues in the education of blind and visually impaired students in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Trends in early intervention, educational placement, and personnel preparation are noted. (DB)

Discusses the declining demand for youth labor as a long-term trend in all industrial countries. Notes that in most countries the extension of education has not kept pace with the loss of jobs normally filled by teenagers. Discusses the possible roles of guidance personnel in dealing with this problem. (KO)

Offers a rationale for assessing entering students writing skills. Argues that locally developed writing skills tests are more valid than commercial tests. Suggests that teachers draw on their own experiences when constructing tests, develop holistic scoring guides, and involve a broad range of educators, parents, and students in scoring the…

Discusses the purposes and goals of mathematics assessment, the features of locally developed versus standardized tests, the validation of assessment tests, the decisions made from test scores, and the fair preparation of students. (DMM)