This report describes the findings of two half-day focus group meetings that discussed experiences and concerns about the participation of students with disabilities in Minnesota's Basic Standards Exams. The focus groups included test coordinators, general classroom teachers, and special education teachers. The report discusses: (1) experiences…

Forty-one middle school students in two eighth-grade classes were taught half of their science chapters in the conventional manner with homework assignments, and half of their chapters by having short classroom quizzes on each unit. Quizzes were expected to stimulate incentive motivation as a mediator between a goal object, mastery, and the…

This study surveyed special education teachers teaching eighth and ninth grade students in 27 Minnesota school districts to determine how decisions were made on the inclusion of children with disabilities in the 1997 administration of Minnesota's Basic Standards Test and what accommodations were provided and desired. Analysis of the 259 responses…

This report reviews the current literature (mostly since 1993) on testing accommodations for students with disabilities, with an emphasis on studies examining the effects of testing accommodations on the technical integrity of assessment measures. The report notes a continuing lack of empirical research on testing accommodations, but evidence of…

A team of university and public school mathematics educators designed performance-based mathematics assessment tasks designed to align with the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills for 93 students who had been identified as at-risk in mathematics. Scenarios were developed based on four contexts: (1) familiar activity; (2) social issue; (3)…

The materials in this document present the results of a study of French second language immersion testing in Alberta (Canada) public schools for grades 1-3 based on the curriculum instituted in 1998. As a result of the study, this collection was developed for grades 1-3 students who need to be taught French as a second language. A separate section…

Areas of business education that need to be researched were identified through a two-round study. First, 2 groups of more than 40 Delta Pi Epsilon members generated ideas for research topics at regional and national conferences. The resulting list of topics was edited and rated by a Delphi panel consisting of 15 educators from postsecondary and…

This paper reviews the literature on under-identification of minority children, especially Hispanic children, for education as gifted and talented students. It begins with definitions of terms such as "gifted and talented" and also such terms as "bias" and "culturally diverse." Some characteristics of gifted Hispanic children are then listed as…

This report describes a decision-making tool designed to inform English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and bilingual educators of the most up-to-date participation and test accommodations guidelines and to assist educators in the process of making informed decisions. It reports on the results of a study that examined the tool's feasibility. The…

This paper reports on a longitudinal study with results drawn from 7 years of data on a group of young women (N=42), following them from the ninth grade through the third year of college. The purpose of the study was to trace development of the participants' thinking about school, career, and women's roles while also tracking their grades,…

Idaho has made substantial progress carrying out its State School Improvement Plan under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Education and the Idaho State Department of Education, and with funding under the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Three major areas of accomplishment provide the basis for continuing improvement activities. The first…

This document is comprised of the six issues in volume 16 of the Harvard Education Letter, a bimonthly newsletter addressing current issues in elementary and secondary education. Articles in this volume include the following: (1) January-February--"Grade Inflation: What's Really behind All Those A's?" (Birk) and "Every Friday was Fight Day"…

The report compiles information on Arizona's public school programs serving limited-English-proficient (LEP) students, including both bilingual education and English-as-a-Second-Language programs, as mandated by state law. It contains data submitted by school districts, schools, and charter schools concerning primary home language identification,…

This paper reports on the development, design, and initial field testing of a narrative simulation, "'This Just Is!' Jeff's Story," that focused on homophobia and adolescent suicide. The initial field test was conducted with two user groups--a graduate class of professionals in the field of higher education student development, and a…

This is one of a series of reports that document the formative research that supported the development of the "First Steps" program designed to improve the literacy and numeracy of primary school students in Western Australia, particularly those considered at-risk. The four themes of First Steps (reading, writing, spelling, and oral…