As part of compliance with with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, this document presents the State Report Card of Arizona for 2009-2010. The report card provides tables relating to percentage of students who passed AIMS in Arizona by subject and grade. The tables shown in this document include: (1) Mathematics Grade 3; (2) Reading Grade 3; (3)…

The paper considers the main results and some educational implications of the TIMSS 2003 assessment conducted in Serbia in the fields of the science achievement of Serbian eighth grade students and the science curriculum context of their achievement. There were 4264 students in the sample. It was confirmed that Serbian eighth graders had made…

In 2003, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) included a special focus on problem-solving. This report reviews the problem-solving aspects of each study in order to compare and contrast the nature of problem solving in each assessment. The report's authors develop…

The "No Child Left Behind" Act (2002) requires that all students have access to the general curriculum at their designated grade level. Federal guidance received from the US Department of Education noted that these extended standards are intended only for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. A key goal is to assure…

Although the participation rates of females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (or STEM) education is poor in most Western countries, considerable differences across countries exist as well. This may be due to differences in the so-called gender achievement gaps, that is, delays of one sex with respect to the other. The variation…

Classes of 100 students or more are not uncommon in higher education. With such large enrollments, it can be difficult for instructors to integrate active learning components to the traditional lecture format typically adopted in such large classes. To help address this problem, Johnny El-Rady discusses his use of an electronic classroom voting…

Diminishing "standards" and "alignment" to overused buzzwords or superficial checklists masks the dire need for truly systematic and operational standards-based alignment in science education. In this article, the authors report the findings of an ongoing collaborative effort between cognitive researchers and urban science…

High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment data show the need to improve science education in both the middle grades and high school. Science education increases students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This publication is designed to help principals, other school leaders and teachers identify rigorous instruction and successfully…

"The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about and from public and private organizations about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) New Online Tool Simplifies Financial Aid Process; (2) Rigor in K-6:…

Current educational policy highlights the important role that assessment can play in improving education. State standards and the assessments that are aligned with them establish targets for learning and promote school accountability for helping all students succeed; at the same time, feedback from assessment results is expected to provide …

This report, seventh in a series, is designed to measure progress made by the nation toward the eight National Education Goals. This year's "Goals Report" highlights student achievement in mathematics and science, two of the core academic subjects in which all students are expected to demonstrate competence. The promising news is that…

The "National Education Goals Report" is published annually to describe progress toward the National Education Goals. This summary of the full report presents more than two dozen national core indicators to convey how much progress has been made in each of the eight National Education Goals. In addition, this year's "Summary"…

Learning science is complex and difficult for many students and their understanding of science concepts and processes may be inaccurate or lacking. In an effort to improve the science achievement of underprepared students enrolled in a general science course, an integrative instructional model, "Dimensions of Learning" was used. Since acquiring…

Meteorology, the science of weather and weather conditions, has traditionally been taught via textbook and rote demonstration. This study was intended to determine to what degree utilizing technology in the study of meteorology improves students' attitudes towards science and to measure to what extent technology in meteorology increases…

This report, eighth in a series, is designed to measure progress made by the nation toward the eight National Education Goals. A statement of the eight National Education Goals is followed by an Introduction which explains the indicators by which progress toward the Goals is measured. The Introduction also summarizes national and state findings…