The new "Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools" identifies complex instructional activities and student performance, and requires new assessment methods to reveal that performance. One of the goals of the California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) is to study the effects of local assessment development and implementation…

Alternative mathematical items administered as prototypes at the spring 1989 Field Trials of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are evaluated for differential item functioning (DIF) and differential speededness. Results for Algebra Placement (AP) and Student Produced Response (SPR) items are presented and contrasted with results obtained on two…

To understand better the factors involved in students' decisions to pursue graduate study in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering (NSME), this study surveyed a stratified sample of 1,651 NSME majors who took the Graduate Record Examination General Test in December 1990, planning to enroll in graduate school. The survey asked for…

Project Cuatro Casas was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its first year in 1993-94. The project operated at one high school in the Bronx (New York) and served 1,074 students of limited English proficiency. Participating students received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL); native language arts;…

This collection of essays illustrates various aspects of the recent trend to situate accounts of cognitive development. The essays examine contextual sensitivity in relation to ecological theories of perception and cognition, and contrast intuitive reasoning in mathematical and other scientific domains with the child's difficulty with reasoning in…

Since its inception in 1988, the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (BICSE) has monitored U.S. participation in those cross national comparative studies in education that are funded by its sponsors, the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics. This set of international study descriptions…

This monograph is a rich resource of information designed to strengthen science and basic skills teaching, and improve learning for limited English proficient (LEP) minority student populations. It proposes the use of hands-on science investigations as the driving force for mathematics and English language development. The materials included in…

A new test theory for performance-based assessment is proposed. Criteria for "good" performance-based items, ways of measuring cognitive complexity, methods for determining maturity levels of understanding, and scaling systems are discussed. A performance-based task completed by 51 ninth and tenth graders in June 1993 was studied.…

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).…

Since 1992, Maine has received National Science Foundation Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) program monies. SSI is a model for improvement of mathematics and science education based on systemic reform. The SSI initiative in Maine has created seven "Beacon School" sites that vary in size and location including high poverty areas, urban…

Students in New Mexico may take either the American College Test Assessment (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), although New Mexico students usually take the ACT. Results from both examinations are presented in this report, based on seniors expected to graduate. Overall, New Mexico and national composite scores have remained steady on the…

This article examines issues that were critical for eight preservice teachers learning to teach mathematics and social studies in the context of reform-minded methods classes. The issues include: (1) the impact of their prior knowledge and experience in the development of content-specific pedagogical knowledge; (2) their conceptions of mathematics…

Over the past several years, the preeminence of the transfer function at Arizona's Mesa Community College (MCC) has been overshadowed by the increasing demand for remedial education. In fall 1992, 65% of the students assessed for placement in English, mathematics, and reading scored below college-level in at least one of these subjects, and…

This monograph presents data from a 1994 national survey on freshman seminars gathered from 1,003 accredited, two- and four-year colleges with student populations of over 100 students. The survey investigated the content and structure of freshman seminars in a mail survey of provosts/vice presidents for academic affairs at 2,460 institutions Among…

This teacher's manual contains a series of activities geared toward the teaching of career education in an integrated manner that can show students, particularly those from urban areas, the integrated nature of the career world and the importance of acquiring a variety of life skills as they prepare to enter the work world. The manual is divided…