One of the major concerns of the California school district represented in this case study centered on the possible legal problems associated with minimum competency testing (MCT). The responses of the district to the California law regarding MCT, and to six potential problem areas, are documented. (LC)

Reports results of a study aiming to determine the initial levels of understanding of bioethical terms and concepts of college students. Data are summarized from the development and field testing of the Cognitive Biological Concept Assessment Instrument, which was administered to high school and college students and secondary science teachers. (CS)

A study involving 593 students (ages 15-29) with deafness investigated the validity of a shortened version of the Transition Competence Battery for Deaf Adolescents and Young Adults (TCB). Overall results suggest that the "Mini" TCB is a viable assessment tool that can be used in transition assessment. (Author/CR)

Provides a theoretical rationale for honoring differences and distinctions between performance development and appraisal. Presents a Saskatchewan case study/field test of a differentiated approach that successfully used developmental supervisory styles (facilitating, collaborating, negotiating, or directing) to match each teacher's motivation and…

Describes the efforts of the Maricopa Mathematics Consortium, in Arizona, to develop a comprehensive mathematics curriculum focusing on application-driven materials at the precalculus level. Reviews the resulting three modules of sample course materials, and discusses three phases of field testing used to assess the modules. Summarizes results…

Describes research and development work done by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) for "Sesame Street." Cooperation between producers and researchers is discussed; three mechanisms used to explore new topics and learn more about preschool children are explained; and a case study is presented of how a new geography curriculum was…

Describes Virginia Tech's participation in the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Assessing the Academic Networked Environment Project to field test measures of the impact of networks and networked information resources on higher education institutions. Topics include student surveys, library surveys, administrative information services,…

Gill-breathing freshwater snails (Family "Pleuroceridae") are ecologically important, abundant in many streams in the United States, and easy to collect and maintain under classroom conditions. These snails can be used in classroom tests to demonstrate effects of pollutants on aquatic organisms. In more advanced classes, students can cage the…

Because of the well-documented role caregiving plays in child development and socialization, family service programs commonly aim to improve parenting. Despite the common emphasis on parenting behavior, few programs regularly assess it, because existing observational tools, designed primarily for research purposes, prove too cumbersome for use in…

A field study with 178 candidates for a police promotional examination was conducted to investigate the effects of "untranslated" behavioral checklists on certain psychometric properties of an assessment center. The untranslated checklist used all behavioral responses elicited by the assessment center exercises, not just those that met a…

Effective individualized learning continues to be the primary educational goal of small-rural schools. Three thrusts towards individualized learning--non-graded instruction, an emphasis on basic skills, and socially relevant education--can be enhanced by instructional computing, the use of microcomputers to facilitate learning. However, most…

The premise of this document is that trade instructors and incumbent workers can work together as a writing team to develop test items for vocational education. The development process used by the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) is described as follows: (1) identify and validate a task list; (2) conduct task analysis;…

A comprehensive Instrument for Curriculum Evaluation (ICE) was developed to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate curriculum materials. The instrument contains 115 statements for assessing 11 aspects of curriculum: philosophy, needs assessment, theme, goals, learning objectives and standards, scope and sequence, field testing, instructor…

A prototype corporate version of SIGI PLUS a computer-based career guidance system, was developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to serve the career counseling needs of adults in companies. It included a large store of nationally applicable occupational information that could be readily linked online to employer-provided company…

Most roofs are meant to withstand the elements for a period of 20 years; to achieve this goal, however, school officials must believe in a dedicated maintenance program and sell it to their superiors and school boards. Establishment of a school district roof maintenance program is explained. Job qualifications and training methods for an inhouse…