This report describes the fifth in a series of investigations of the nature, role, and quality of teacher-developed classroom assessments. The purpose of this research program is to provide a clear picture of the assessment demands of the classroom so teacher educators can plan assessment training that is relevant to teachers' needs. The purpose…

A mediated peer coaching program implemented in rural Middle Tennessee in 1984-85 was designed to improve classroom instruction within the constraints imposed by poor, rural schools. Participants were 35 teachers in 9 rural schools, each assigned to a peer coaching team consisting of teachers in the same school but with different grade and/or…

California's Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), which provides services and financial aid to community college students who transfer to public four-year colleges, was evaluated by an intersegmental task force, which offered 12 recommendations to improve EOPS and the transfer process. After outlining EOPS goals, services, and…

This report includes a description of a project to develop and field-test competency-based instructional materials for handicapped students enrolled in regular vocational agriculture programs; a list of project advisory personnel; the clusters of skills identified as appropriate for handicapped students enrolled in courses in dairy production,…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 38 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) how writing centers succeed and fail; (2) the effects of scoring method, topic, and mode on grade 12 students' writing scores; (3) analysis of the peer…

Macro-indicators pertaining to higher education in Ontario, Canada, universities during 1970-1971 to 1984-1985 are examined. The indicators are designed to measure resources available to the Ontario university system as a function of the volume of activity over time and to compare trends in available resources, along with changes in resource…

The Efficacy Scale for Creative Productivity (ESCreP) was developed to measure students' convictions that they could be creative producers. Self-efficacy, an individual's estimation of ability to perform a behavior, is based upon performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional or physiological arousal. Three…

This guide is intended to train teachers in integrating math skills into the vocational curriculum. Included in the guide are process outlines, handouts, and transparency masters for three workshops designed to assist in the development and delivery of an integrated vocational education and math skills program. The first workshop, a 3- to 4-hour…

This guide, which is based on a 12-month study that examined the feasibility of and procedures for evaluating federal, state, and local supported employment programs for individuals with severe disabilities, discusses recommended data items and measures and presents guidelines for developing a data collection strategy and implementation plan.…

This project is concerned with the development of procedures and plans for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to use in assessing its initiatives on an ongoing basis. This work is meant to complement another review of NSF's investment opportunities by estabishing a sound basis for designing and carrying out assessments aimed at any of the…

Magnet school programs require careful planning. Originally designed to achieve voluntary desegregation, magnet programs attract students of all races and backgrounds by offering special curricular themes and instructional approaches not offered in neighborhood schools. Outcomes of a successful program include the following: (1) desegregation; (2)…

The changing characteristics of past, present, and future U.S. medical students are examined, and suggestions are offered for the selection and education of future medical students. In addition to summarizing historical events from 1930 to 1982, the future characteristics of medical students through the year 2000 are addressed, based on the…

The final report of an investigation of colleges and universities that received substantial support through Title III of the Higher Education Act is presented. The objective was to determine the significant accomplishments that could be associated with the federal or other external investments. Site visits and case studies were undertaken with a…

A summary is presented of a study to determine the impact of school authority systems on student disengagement from high school. Student disengagement is defined as the extent to which students refrain from participating in activities offered as part of the school program, tasks of scholarship and citizenship, and extracurricular activities. The…

This report details the findings of a study to determine the impact of school authority systems on student disengagement from high school. The study, guided by Dornbusch and Scott's theory of evaluation and authority, examined the impact of four types of incompatibilities in the system for the evaluation of student performance on three forms of…