Over four weeks, 81 secondary students with learning disabilities were tested on four parallel mathematics performance assessments, each under a different condition: standard administration, teacher-read, computer-read, and computer-read with video. Results indicated that providing a reader, either human or computer, increased scores on…

Discusses the life and artwork of Bill Traylor, who started his art career late in life, focusing on his work "Scary Creature." Provides accompanying project ideas in the areas of history/technology, theater, language arts, debate, social studies, visual arts, and mathematics. (CMK)

Summarizes the recent history of education reform and statewide testing in Texas. Suggest that analyses comparing Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) reading, writing, and mathematics scores with one another and relevant high school grades raise doubts about the reliability and validity of TAAS scores. Discusses these problems. (SLD)

Investigated beliefs of preschool teachers from Head Start, public school, and special education programs concerning the importance of developmental skills and abilities in three domains of early functioning: social-emotional, language and literacy, and early math. Found that teachers from all three groups, but especially special education…

A major British research project found significant gains in elementary students' literacy and numeracy achievement in 14 of 16 classrooms where teachers worked on developing their own computer skills and instructional uses of computers. Factors contributing to successful professional development are identified, as well as necessary sources of…

Examines two days of teacher-led large group discussion in a 5th grade class about a mathematical question intended to support student exploration of relationships among fraction and decimal representations and rational numbers. Illuminates the teacher's work in supporting student thinking through the use of a mathematical question embedded in a…

Presents background information on the life and career of George Luks. Describes one of his paintings called "Tea Party" that pokes fun at the upper classes while paying homage to humanity. Includes activities in literature, social studies, science, mathematics, history, and visual arts. (CMK)

Attitudes towards "setting," a form of student grouping by ability, were studied in four Scottish primary schools. A slight majority of students and a slight minority of teachers preferred set classes. Positive aspects of sets included smaller classes and independent learning in lower-ability sets, and positive class atmospheres.…

A questionnaire of out-of-school activities was developed to assess mathematical creative ability at four levels using a three-stage circular technique. Israeli high school students (n=139) reported whether they had performed the activities. Resulting data provided evidence of the construct validity of a 12-item scale for assessing creative…

Discusses changes in society that have led to literacy skills being a criterion for employment. Topics include reading; communication skills; writing; cognitive processes; math; computers, the Internet, and the information revolution; information needs and access; information cross-linking; information literacy; and hardware and software use. (LRW)

This article discusses the strengths of gifted visual-spatial learners and their struggles with simple concepts. Strategies for teaching visual-spatial learners are provided including general strategies, strategies for making material more meaningful, ways to help such students during lectures, foreign language strategies, math strategies, and…

Two studies examined gender differences in academic self-concept, self-esteem, and academic motivation among 208 high-ability and average-ability Chinese adolescents. Both studies found girls tend to have higher verbal self-concepts and boys tend to have higher math self-concepts. High-ability girls had higher general academic self-concept than…

Many members of the mathematics and science education community believe that the integration of mathematics and science enhances students' understanding of both subjects. Despite this belief, attempts to integrate these subjects have frequently been unsuccessful. This study examines the development and implementation of a team-taught integrated…

To meet the need for reform in mathematics teacher preparation courses, two cycles of changes made in an elementary mathematics methods course are presented. Using action research, teaching approaches were developed, implemented, and evaluated as a meaningful way to continue my professional development. Results suggested that I improved my…

Each month, "Curriculum Review" offers teachers mutual support, the sharing of ideas, and words of encouragement to help them face challenges in the classroom. The April 2004 issue of "Curriculum Review" contains the following articles: (1) "We Hear from Readers"; (2) "What They're Saying"; (3) "Technology Update"; (4) "Use Class Web Site to Host…