This paper presents some possible reasons why persons with visual impairments are under-represented in the fields of mathematics and science, including insufficient general preparation for higher education during the K-12 years and the lack of effective alternative instructional materials and methods available to a person with a visual impairment…

This facilitator's guide, and the videotape it accompanies, is designed to demonstrate ways in which the new visions of science education for the 21st century might be translated into classroom practice. The National Research Council's (NRC) National Science Education Standards, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks…

This digest discusses how assistive technology (AT) for students with disabilities can expand access to the general education curriculum. It begins by describing the Education TECH Point system which offers educators a strategy for identifying specific points in the planning process where AT should be considered, including: initial referral…

Project S.C.A.M.P. (Science, Computer and Mathematics Professions) is a year-long program designed to encourage the mathematical and scientific talents and interests of rural gifted junior high school students. Students participated in a 3-week residential summer camp at the University of Virginia and completed computer-based classes in geometry…

This report compares information gathered from the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test administrations of 1986 and 1988 with data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests given those same years (mathematics and science in 1986 and reading and United States history in 1988). The focus is on how…

A review of the literature indicates that, compared to larger, urban schools, small, rural secondary schools have limited course offerings in mathematics and science; the review also indicates, however, that the achievement of students in small, rural schools is equivalent to or even higher than, that of students in larger, urban schools. Such an…

The conceptual framework for the instructionally sensitive assessment that guided the analyses of data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) are described. The intellectual rationale for the project effort and the current draft version of the guiding conception of "instructionally sensitive psychometrics" are discussed,…

An external evaluation was made of the Competitive Skills Project, a National Workplace Literacy Program carried out in partnership between El Camino College and BP Chemicals. Among the problems identified were the following: (1) because the original director and his successor left the project, the original evaluation design could not be…

Various parallel forms of the NTE (National Teacher Examinations) Test of Professional Knowledge (NTETPK) have been administered to examinees aspiring to initial teacher certification since 1982. To confirm that recent reported scores are comparable to those from earlier forms, the stability of the score scale was studied using section…

The phenomenon of simultaneous differential item functioning (DIF) amplification and cancellation and the role of the SIBTEST computer program in detecting it were studied. A variety of simulated test data was generated for this purpose. In addition, the following real test data were used: (1) American College Testing program data for 2,115 males…

This publication is a practical guide to implementing the Mathematics, Science, and Minorities: K-6 (MSM: K-6) Project, a program to increase minority student participation in mathematics and sciences in the kindergarten through sixth grade levels. The guide is organized into five parts. Part 1 is an introduction that explains why minority…

The Office of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment of the New York City Public Schools evaluates the Chapter 1 Math Skills program annually. Objectives, which were set by the Division of High Schools, are that at least 50 percent of full-year program participants will demonstrate a normal curve equivalent (NCE) gain of at least 1 unit as measured…

The fourth-year update of a longitudinal study examined the progress of the 31 remaining members of 2 classes in the first cohort of a Spanish immersion program and their standard-program monolingual comparison group of 15 students. Achievement gains were measured on standardized tests of mathematics and language skills. Results provided new…

An overview is provided of the "Authentic Assessment for Multiple Users" project funded by the National Science Foundation to determine whether portfolio assessment can be structured to permit meaningful aggregation for multiple hierarchical users. The research focus was in the context of science and mathematics instruction in grades…

The report describes briefly two foundation-funded inservice training institutes for middle school teachers in Los Angeles (California) who have limited-English-speaking students in their classes. The first was designed to: (1) introduce teachers to the communicative approach to math and science instruction; (2) help develop instructional…