The National Education Association (NEA) opposes the use of standardized, norm-referenced tests of intelligence, achievement, and aptitude, citing problems with their substance, structure, administration, and use. NEA suggests five alternatives: (1) performance contracts; (2) teacher-student and teacher-parent-student interviews; (3)…

Findings are summarized from the statewide assessment of Texas students' achievement in mathematics, reading, citizenship awareness, and writing skills. For reading and mathematics achievement, criterion-referenced tests were developed. Test items from exercises developed by the National Assessment of Educational Programs (NAEP) were used to…

This study investigated the effects of a series of mathematics lessons which were designed to encourage a spatial mode of thinking. Using fifth-grade students from four intact classrooms, a pretest and posttest battery composed of spatial tests, reasoning tests, and a problem-solving test, were administered to the experimental and two control…

A comprehensive guide for observers using the Pupil Activities Record--Revised (PAR-R), this manual covers procedures followed in systematic observation of a student's classroom activities for the period of one instructional day. The manual provides general information about the purpose and design of the PAR and explains the revisions, which were…

This booklet discusses the many psychological factors involved in the learning process. The author offers suggestions on the following problems: (1) the technology of teaching and the psychology of learning; (2) programs and rewards; (3) motivation; (4) learning and behavior control; (5) the role and responsibility of the teacher; (6) standards of…

This report provides descriptive data on allocated time in reading and mathematics for grades two and five as reported by a sample of California teachers participating in one phase of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. The procedures used by teachers to record information are described and data are presented for the A-B period, October to…

The findings are presented of two research studies designed to identify the causes of perceived inefficient and ineffective performance by administrators in institutions of higher education. The first study examined operational dissonance among the three levels of academic administrators (chairpersons, deans, and provosts) in complex…

Eight papers on leadership which were presented at a teacher leadership conference on the development of common core curriculum for vocational education teachers are contained in this booklet. The title and authors are as follow: "The History and Philosophy of Vocational Education," by Lillian King; "Standard Characteristics of Vocational…

The role of perceptual organization in motor learning is discussed, the literature is reviewed, and research findings are summarized. Measurement problems are discussed, including observations about motor skill learning. Four experiments are described which compare organized and random movement sequences. It is shown that organization (whether…

Six articles concerning college reading instruction are presented in this special interest journal. Chester Tillman and A. Garr Cranney offer informal guidelines for evaluating commercially produced reading improvement materials in terms of their purpose, educational and psychological factors which affect appropriateness for a class, cost, and…

The charge that minimum competency testing provides diagnosis without treatment is refuted. The movement has made no attempt to dictate course content or teaching methods; it leaves treatment decisions to individual teachers. Treatment can be defined only in relation to a problem. The problem, as minimum competency advocates implicitly define it,…

Two types of items used in student evaluations of college teaching were compared: high-inference items, which require considerable inferring from what is seen or heard in the classroom to labelling of teacher behavior; and moderate-inference items, such as "teacher listens carefully." Two instruments were administered to random halves of…

A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE RETRIEVAL EVALUATION RESULTS OBTAINED WITH THE AUTOMATIC SMART DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL SYSTEM FOR DOCUMENT COLLECTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF AERODYNAMICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND DOCUMENTATION IS GIVEN IN THIS REPORT. THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF FULLY AUTOMATIC DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL, INCLUDING THE FORMS OF…

As one of the efforts related to closing the gap between the growing demands for clinical laboratory workers and the supply of well-trained workers, the volume and quality of laboratory procedures and the general characteristics of workers in North Carolina hospitals were studied. Approaches to the study included tests on "unknowns" by…

This report presents some of the findings of several years research on the relations between the non-standard English used by Negro speakers in various urban ghetto areas (NNE) and standard English (SE). The immediate subject is the status of the copula and auxiliary "be" in NNE. The approach to the problem combines the methods of…