This paper: (1) reviews the development and implementation of a test designed to assess the competencies of public high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, preceding their graduation; and (2) presents the results of indicator cluster correlations between the new "Basic Skills Tests" and other reading and mathematics basal tests…

In an attempt to serve underprepared students--students who are beginners in writing, reading, and logical thinking skills--the English department at Keene State College in New Hampshire has been evolving a developmental English composition course designed to enable these students to participate effectively in their subsequent general education…

Energy is a problem affecting all individuals. To help today's students understand the problem and become realistic decision-makers, materials have been developed by the Sunny Side Up (in Mathematics) program to introduce energy concepts into the mathematics curriculum. Objectives of the program are to: (1) provide highly effective practice in…

A one-parameter latent trait model was the basis of the test development procedures in the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). Several issues are involved in applying the Rasch model to an assessment program in a large school district. Separate sets of skills continua are arranged by…

The Advisory Commission for the Study of Public Support for Postsecondary Education in Maine reviewed the financial problems facing Maine's private higher education institutions and the impact of increasing student costs at Maine's public institutions. The text of the state legislation creating the Commission is presented, along with a summary of…

A selection of papers presented at a consultation sponsored by the Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming Advisory Committees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights address the inequities of benefits received by women and minorities from resource development activities in the Intermountain West. The introduction discusses…

New Mexico's 19 "very small" school districts (fewer than 300 average daily membership K-12 in 1981-82) were studied to identify major problems (including program deficiencies and actions being taken to alleviate those problems), to determine appropriate additional measures which might be helpful in resolving the problems, and to…

It is too soon to know the effect of federal block grants on education, but one can speculate on their implications for fiscal management by looking at past block grant programs, examining the statutory provisions, and analyzing data available on states and cities. Past federal block grants have involved health, crime, community development,…

A study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to obtain a profile of degree students who withdrew from courses at the college between 1979 and 1982. Study findings, based on forms completed by 10,148 of the 29,410 students who withdrew from courses during this period, included the following: (1) 11.5% of all course enrollments…

Demographic and socioeconomic changes are reshaping the fortunes of small communities and pose policy issues. Such communities find it especialy difficult to deal with rapid growth or decline, or a switch from one to the other. Small communities now enjoy greater autonomy, but at the cost of reduced federal aid. Freed from federal mandates, each…

After noting that research and development reports indicate that there are strong psychological arguments for approaching algebraic concepts through the use of computer programming, the work of the Nottingham Programming in Mathematics Project with pupils aged 11-13 is briefly described. What is meant by understanding of a concept and how pupils…

Problems faced by blacks in higher education in North Carolina are analyzed with focus on inadequate financial support for black colleges. It is suggested that factors affecting the status of black institutions are (1) the traditional state educational priorities, and (2) the history of political maneuvering that has resulted in a misguided…

The paper discusses a number of issues concerning the practical usefulness of cognitive psychology research, and presents a case study of pilot training methods to illustrate a model of research processes that produces outcomes which contribute to both basic and applied research goals. Research studies are described as varying in the degree to…

The characteristics of California's Student Aid Commission grant program applicants and recipients were examined to assess the extent to which aid programs meet state goals. Attention is directed to major problems confronting the three Cal Grant programs and a range of possible policy and program options. The three programs are: Cal Grant A State…

The impact of data discrepancies made by colleges on the Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) is addressed, with attention to both impact on the entire aid program and resource allocation to institutions. Brief descriptions are provided of the allocation formulas for the three campus-based aid programs (Supplemental…