This article evaluates the role of the Online Faculty Development and Assessment System (OFDAS), created at universities in the Canary Islands, Spain, in staff development. The evaluation indicates that the system helped staff in learning to teach curriculum and teaching capacities. The tasks, online resources and opportunities for discussions…

This study investigated the accuracy order of English relative clauses in the usage of 199 Japanese high school students of English as a foreign language (EFL). Specifically, it looked at: (1) whether the Accessibility Hierarchy conform to the accuracy order by Japanese senior high school students of EFL; and (2) how frequently this population…

The purpose of this research study was to compose a user profile of one specific electronic conference/electronic mail (e-conference/e-mail) discussion group through an in-depth case study, using a survey administered, collected, and tabulated electronically. The BALT-L is an online forum devoted to communication to and about the Baltic republics…

The Kindergarten Center in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, promotes the philosophy that children of kindergarten age acquire knowledge in ways that are different from the way older children learn. Younger children learn best through direct sensory encounters with the world and not through formal academic processes. The integrated Kindergarten Center…

This comparative study was conducted in preparation for selecting a successor to the National Teachers Examination (NTE) for initial certification of Montana educators. The paper begins by discussing the background of using teacher competency tests in Montana, and examining demographic data on Montana students and certified teachers. Then, the…

The use of portfolio assessment in the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District and the future of portfolio assessment are discussed. A literature review is followed by a description of the development process that preceded the Chapter 1 portfolio assessment of the Dallas schools. Portfolio results are then compared to the standardized measures…

This volume summarizes information provided by state education agencies on student achievement in Chapter 1 Migrant Education Programs. For the regular term, 34 states (out of 48) provided statewide achievement information using norm-referenced tests (29 states), criterion-referenced tests (8 states), and locally developed instruments (1 state).…

A study begun in a Texas school district in 1988 focused on families of Mexican origin, studying characteristics of their schools and studying what the families and schools did or did not do to promote graduation from high school. The sample of 100 15-year-olds labeled as "at risk" was fairly typical of Latino students in the school…

This report describes the evaluation of the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) which provides assessment and academic support for students entering Texas public institutions of higher education. The report includes a trend analysis of year-end TASP Test results and a cohort analysis of academic performance for 431,737 students tested for the…

The essays collected here describe events, trends, and issues in the development of language proficiency testing for African languages. Papers include: "A Brief History of Proficiency Testing" (Richard T. Thompson, Dora E. Johnson); "The 1986 Stanford ACTFL Training Workshop" (William Leben); "The 1987 Madison-MSU Team…

As part of its academic testing program and the evaluation of academic achievement, the Des Moines (Iowa) Public School System administers two standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests. These are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED). This document provides information regarding…

This study investigated the utility and feasibility of administering achievement tests to adults in a continuing education course in French, in Scotland, in which student progress is not usually formal assessed. Subjects were 18 adults in elementary-level classes, aged 18 to over 60 years. Students were tested three times, at 3-4 week intervals,…

This study compared results of measuring student attitudes regarding race, gender, and religious climate using pencil-and-paper administration in a group setting with computer-administrated measurement over a local area network. Approximately 2,000 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets in February 1996 and 1,400 in November 1996 were administered the…

In 1994, as part of an ongoing study of the quality and effects of large-scale educational assessments, RAND began a series of studies of Kentucky's assessment, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). KIRIS is a cornerstone of Kentucky's education reform program. It exemplifies several key themes of current assessment-based…

This teaching guide provides an integrated framework for teaching thinking skills which involves both teaching thinking in a separate program or course and infusing the teaching of thinking into standard subject area instruction across the curriculum. Individual chapters deal with the following topics: (1) the nature of thinking skills and…