This 20th Yearbook of the College Reading Association reflects the theme of "community" again and again, in diverse ways. First in the yearbook are the Presidential Address by Marino C. Alvarez, "Adolescent Literacy: Are We in Contact?" and the three Keynote Addresses: "My Life in Reading" (J. Chall); "A…

This report provides an overview of Salt Lake Community College and assesses institutional performance on several indicators. The following indicators are included: (1) participation rate by ethnicity; (2) participation rate by disability; (3) new student assessment of programs and services; (4) success rates of developmental education students;…

A study was conducted to investigate: (1) the relationships between the results from various forms of assessment and the patterns of correlation across content areas; (2) how cognitive components correlate with the test results from different classroom assessments; and (3) how content areas affected the relationships. Data were collected from a…

This report outlines the a study that investigated the reading skills of high school students (ages 14-19) with severe or profound prelingual deafness, including 6 skilled readers with parents with deafness, 6 skilled readers with hearing parents, and 6 average readers with hearing parents. The study determined short-term memory strategies used by…

A sample of five performance tasks developed to assess student progress toward meeting the content standards are given in this continuation of the social studies framework for the state of Delaware. The sample tasks provide teachers with insight into the types of performances and applications of knowledge that should be expected of students at…

The Colorado Basic Literacy Law, enacted in 1996, requires that school districts report the number and percentage of students who are reading at or above grade level in grade 3, are on individualized literacy plans, or improve their reading achievement by two or more grade levels in a single year. The law requires the use of multiple indicators or…

There is growing evidence supporting the powerful role that maternal education plays in child growth and cognitive development in developing countries. This study examined the contribution of maternal literacy in mediating the relationship between maternal education and variation in child outcomes from birth to 7 years of age. It was hypothesized…

Principals from small and rural elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas participated in a 3-year study of the role of the school counselor and the extent of collaborative efforts between counselors and principals. Principals reported a strong dependence on the assistance their counselors provided, often crediting them with assuming the…

This report uses the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (in mathematics, reading, science, and writing); the Advanced Placement Program; national college-admissions tests (ACT and SAT); and national norm-referenced tests used in statewide testing programs to compare SREB states to the nation in improved…

Washback or backwash, also known as measurement-driven instruction, is a common term in applied linguistics referring to the influence of testing on teaching and learning, which is a prevailing phenomena in education. It is a truism that "what is assessed becomes what is valued, which becomes what is taught." This paper aims to share the…

This study considered two questions about the use of national and state assessment databases: (1) Do state and national assessments provide the same information on the performance of an educational system? and (2) What are the factors that might affect the discrepancies between national and state assessment results? Kentucky and Maine were chosen…

As part of a research project being conducted to determine the impact that the Maryland Learning Outcomes and the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) are having on classroom instruction and assessment practices, social studies classroom materials were collected from elementary and middle schools in Maryland during the 1997-1998…

Project Build is an eight-week course in construction industry basics for unemployed residents of the neighborhoods surrounding The Ohio State University. Developing curriculum for Project Build revealed that existing training materials in the construction industry focus on technical skills. Extensive conversations with industry experts about…

The primary objective of this study was to examine the construct validity of two multiple-content testing programs, the multiple-choice Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/5) and the performance-based Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP), by evaluating the true-score longitudinal associations among multiple-content scores…

This study examined the degree of understanding among district and school level personnel in New Mexico regarding recent changes implemented in the State's accountability reporting system. The results are being used to design two further research activities: one to explore the relationship between accountability information and classroom practice,…