The role that achievement testing plays in the educational system of Trinidad and Tobago and results from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) tests administered in 1989 are discussed (for these tests, students generally sit for five to eight examinations on subjects they have taken throughout their secondary schooling). The educational system…

Low graduation rates and excessive time to degree have cost implications for students, institutions, and the state and raise fundamental questions about priorities. This report examines graduation and time-to-degree rates at 10 Illinois public college and universities; the potential factors affecting graduation and timely completion; and the issue…

This paper examines services being received by secondary students classified as seriously emotionally disturbed; school policies concerning their education; and the links between services, policies, and school performance. Data from a subset of 782 youth with serious emotional disturbances from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS)…

This guide was written primarily for students in Grade 9 who are planning their high school programs but it also contains information that may be useful to students already in high school. The guide begins with a "Building Your Future" section which serves as an introduction to high school and the planning process that goes along with…

This study examined whether there are significant differences in the academic performance and graduation rates of undergraduate transfer students compared to students who entered the general campuses as first-time freshmen in selected 2- and 4-year campuses in Colorado. Four student cohorts were studied within three campuses (Boulder, Denver,…

Changes in mathematics achievement at grade 11 before and after the implementation of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) were studied in an urban school district in Texas. High stakes tests are used by state education agencies and school districts to monitor and increase educational achievement. The TEAMS is a minimum…

In 1989, Ohio's Kent State University (KSU) Office of Admissions and Records developed a list of 1,404 students who had transferred from Ohio's Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) to KSU between 1979 and 1989. Demographic, enrollment, academic performance, and graduation data were analyzed to determine the impact on transfer students of a proposed…

Four annual surveys of the 50 states provide data for analyzing nation-wide trends in competency assessment of teachers. Most state plans for teacher competency assessment include testing one or more areas of basic skills, professional or pedagogical skills, and academic knowledge. The testing occurs at the entry level--admission to the teacher…

Intended for students taking the English 33 Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in Alberta, Canada, this writing test booklet contains the composition component of the June 1989 tests. During 2.5 hours, students are required to perform the following writing tasks: (1) a personal response to an excerpt from Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth…

Intended for students taking English 30 Grade Diploma Examinations in Alberta, Canada, this writing test booklet contains the composition component of the June 1989 tests. During 2.5 hours, students are required to complete a minor writing assignment in which they give a personal response to William Butler Yeats'"The Fascination of What's…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is a statewide program designed to ensure that all students attending public colleges and universities have the basic reading, mathematics, and writing skills necessary to perform effectively at the college level. All entering first-time freshmen are required to take the TASP test, which has a basic skills…

During 1988-89, the Austin Independent School District's Title 7 program continued to supplement services through the locally funded bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs to secondary students of limited English proficiency. The 1988-89 Title 7 evaluation report provides an overview of the programs's changes, staff training,…

Writing tests are part of the mandated statewide proficiency examination in Nevada. The ninth-grade screening test and the eleventh-grade diploma-certifying test require that a student write a paragraph and a business letter, each on an assigned topic and each at an acceptable level of proficiency. Pilot tests, extended discussion, and statistical…

A brief overview of the Diploma Examinations Program conducted by Alberta Education during 1989-90 is provided. All grade 12 students in Alberta are required to write at least one diploma examination, either English 30 or English 33, to receive a high school diploma. The Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Program is intended to develop and maintain…

An overview of educational reforms during the 1980s (1978-88) and their effects is presented for use by policy makers, practitioners, and interested citizens. The first section of this report, called "The Reforms of the 1980s", is based largely on a 50-state survey and a research report, both commissioned by the Educational Testing…