In an effort to obtain a more complete picture of student outcomes, the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) undertook a 6-year study of the academic experiences of 10,777 students who entered in fall 1986 with no previous college experience. In addition to basic data on student characteristics, the study gathered information on student persistence in…

The work carried out in Edmonton School District Number 7 as part of the Educational Quality Indicators (EQI) project in the Alberta (Canada) schools resulted in development and validation of processes, criteria, and reporting methods related to student achievement in six "essential learning outcomes" keyed to the more traditional…

Performance-based assessments and the instructional programs from which they emerge and into which they fit demand intelligent caring teachers with experience and knowledge in assessments, instruction, student learning, and human development theory. Full implementation of performance-based assessments requires that teachers discuss performance and…

Three expert panels reviewed the 1991 Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) reading test. This was the first year of an assessment program designed to measure school progress toward, among other content areas, three reading outcomes: reading for literary experience, reading to become informed, and reading to perform a task. The…

This volume of an annual collection of essays relating to instruction in the basic communication course presents 1992 Speech Communication Association Basic Course Committee award winning papers, articles on teaching assistants in the basic course, approaches to teaching in the basic course, research on the basic course, and a commentary. Essays…

This digest discusses how well authentic mathematics assessment tests can be expected to meet the needs of mathematics instruction that focuses on conceptual insights and analytical skills. In the new mathematics curriculum, situational lessons or real-life problems attempt to include dimensions of thinking and reasoning, individual or small-group…

Six documents were reviewed and recommendations relevant to the work of the Advisory Committee on Testing in Chapter 1 were summarized. A brief description of a framework for discussing different uses of assessment is followed by specific recommendations from each of the following sources: (1) "Working Paper: Reauthorization of the…

Demographic and social changes, increasing economic interdependence, and educational reform movements are causing major changes in vocational education. Essential work force skills and the standards to account for their achievement are being debated. The 1980s'"Excellence Movement" focused on strengthening academic requirements,…

This paper presents a study that examined the effect of an attribution induction on students' performance on a subsequent achievement test. The study was conducted to determine whether an instructor might inculcate desirable attributions as part of a regular classroom interaction and thus improve academic performance in at-risk students. College…

This paper presents a study of two intellectually gifted students (ages 6 and 14) who have cerebral palsy and are unable to communicate orally. Results of participant observation, interviews, and document analysis revealed that: (1) gifted students who have cerebral palsy and do not speak exhibit indicators of cognitive ability that are similar to…

The present study extends a previous study of student teachers' teaching potential to first-year teachers and includes variables addressing commitment to a teaching career and efficacy. Respondents consisted of 126 first-year teachers who completed questionnaires at student teaching, graduation, and one year following graduation. Seven tables are…

These training standards for motorcycle mechanics are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…

The assertion that girls and boys in single-sex schools outperform their peers attending coeducational schools was investigated in this study with particular reference to physics achievement. The relationship between the school, the home and the student's performance in physics was also explored tentatively using multilevel analysis. The average…

An investigation of the process for career progression in the federal white-collar work force examined the nature and extent of any barriers women may confront in that process. It included data from three sources: U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Central Personnel Data File; 19 focus groups with 144 senior level and senior executive men and…

This document reports on the work of a task force charged with formulating recommendations on the kind of preparation an incoming student should have to assure successful entry to and completion of the freshman year of study at the State University of New York (SUNY). In addition, the task force was asked to specify what program of study and forms…