A method for drawing inferences from complex samples is based on Rubin's approach to missing data in survey research. Standard procedures for drawing such inferences do not apply when the variables of interest are not observed directly, but must be inferred from secondary random variables which depend on the variables of interest stochastically.…

To assess attainment of basic skills, the San Diego Board of Education mandates that all students in regular programs at grades 5, 7, 9 and 11 be tested by the Districtwide Testing Program. This evaluation report presents the academic achievement of Grade 11 (Fall 1984) students in comparison with (1) a national norm group and (2) previous years…

National concern over the serious decline and poor performance of United States students in mathematics and science is reflected in this paper which discusses and compares performances and behavioral characteristics of Japanese students with their United States counterparts and, in some instances, with students from Sweden, Australia, England,…

A sample of slightly over 1,500 students drawn from even-numbered grades in public schools of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) were given the 1973 edition of the Stanford Achievement Test (grades 2, 4, 6, and 8) and the Test of Academic Skills (grades 10 and 12) in an attempt to assess student academic achievement in the basic skill areas of…

This curriculum guide provides six units of instruction on basic welding. Addressed in the individual units of instruction are the following topics: employment opportunities for welders, welding safety and first aid, welding tools and equipment, basic metals and metallurgy, basic math and measuring, and procedures for applying for a welding job.…

A case study was made of the implementation of an innovative measurement program. In this instance, curriculum implementation was seen as a process in pedagogical, occupational, and sociocultural contexts in which social groups with unequal power, and in contradictory ways, contended for control. "Beyond academic achievement" emerged as…

A variety of methods can be used for instructing classes having highly heterogeneous students, including individualization of instruction, homogeneous grouping, team teaching, and modifying whole-class instruction. Through classroom observations and teacher interviews, the prevalence of such methods in 32 second- and third-grade classrooms were…

The Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) conducted an assessment of microcomputer-related needs for basic mathematics in the four-state areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia in 1984-85. The primary input came from teachers from each of the states who participated in a needs conference in their home state. When each of the…

Part of a three-volume series, this guide is intended for parents of young children of preschool through kindergarten age. The purpose of the guide is to provide ideas and activities to help in the development of various basic skill areas which will be important for children's later success in school. Discussion focuses on the child's self…

In response to low college-going rates and low persistence rates of college students, Clark Technical College (CTC) initiated the High School Liaison Project to improve articulation between the college and local schools. The project served as an umbrella for several related activities, including a program for assessing the potential college skills…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills in reading, language, and mathematics was administered to 3,417 second through twelfth grade students plus 201 resource room special education students for a total of 3,618 students, 97% of the student population in the Crete-Monee (Illinois) School District, in April, 1986. The test results were compared:…

A study was undertaken to describe assessment activities of four school districts in Maryland (Washington, Cecil, Montgomery, and Charles Counties) designed to parallel a state-mandated competency-testing program required for high school graduation and to report uses of scores and positive and negative impacts from assessment activities. The…

The proliferation of minimum competency testing in recent years has not resulted in a critical analysis of the construct validity of such tests. The present study examined the dimensionality and construct validity of an urban life skills competency test (the 1987 eighth-grade Chicago Minimum Proficiency Skills Test (MPST) via linear analysis. The…

Assessment of the College-Level Academic Skills Test Project (CLAST) at Florida colleges and universities is discussed. Included is an overview of the role of placement testing for entering freshmen and the questions that should be answered regarding the effectiveness of current entry testing and course placement practices. Information is included…

The seventh in a series, this report reviews microcomputer software authorized by the Alberta (Canada) Department of Education from January 1987 through December 1987. This edition provides detailed evaluations of 23 authorized programs for teaching business education, mathematics, the sciences, language arts, music, problem solving, and French.…