This article comparing the educational systems of various countries contends that, while most countries have clearly articulated educational goals and educators know how to achieve the goals, there is little information on the extent to which students with disabilities are achieving such goals because most accountability assessment efforts do not…

This article describes results for students with mild disabilities who participated in the Kansas science assessment involving cooperative groups. Individual achievement, attitude, and project scores were consistent with expectations in relation to results for general education students. The study did not find that participation of students with…

Training designs are critical to the success of intercultural training programmes. A common typology for classifying intercultural training designs distinguishes among the following dimensions: experiential discovery versus didactic expository and culture-specific versus culture-general training. The purpose of this paper is to assess different…

For most of the twentieth century, the goal in education was the generation and dissemination of information. With the rise of technology and unlimited access to information, it is the ability to apply knowledge and learn from experience that is the new priority for employee development. Action learning, with its emphasis on action and reflection,…

Problem solving begins with problem identification. Conventional knowledge suggests that because patrol officers work specific geographical areas (beats) on a fairly constant basis, they come to see where the problems exist; thus, police experience alone can be relied on to identify crime problems. However, few have examined whether officers are…

This manual has been prepared for all New Mexico Statewide Assessment Program (NMSAP) assessment administrators, teachers, school specialists, and principals. It includes information about the following topics: PED contacts, New Mexico Standards Based Assessments (SBA), Grades 3-8 and 11; New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE);…

Data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) are used to examine the relationship between minimum competency testing and dropout rates. Proponents of such testing have argued that minimum competency tests provide incentives for schools and students, but opponents have argued that such tests lead to a low-level basic skills…

Although the use of test results to demonstrate educational shortcomings is important, tests and assessments are also expected to be an instrument of reform. In fact, they are often expected to provide the primary means of creating educational reform. The minimum competency testing movement and the expansion of the use of test results for…

Australian research into competency-based training and assessment is very thin and theoretical discussion is often superficial. One curious feature in the Australian debate is the belief by many that competency-based training is possible without competency-based assessment. Definitions are being debated. In a longitudinal study, researchers have…

The High School Public Law 89-313 Instructional Support Program was designed to enhance the education of handicapped high school students who were formerly enrolled in state-operated or state-supported settings prior to being transferred to a New York City public school. Eligible students are those with handicapping conditions who may be…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) assessment of basic skills for college was mandated by the Texas legislature in 1987. Students in Texas public colleges and universities that fail a section of the test--reading, writing, or mathematics--must attend remedial courses until they can pass all sections. They may not enter upper division courses…

Developed as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT), these item specifications for sixth grade reading were designed to provide an overview of the general content and format of test items used to measure instructional objectives. Each item specification contains the following information: objective identification number; grade…

A profile of state-wide educational assessment programs is constructed, and the means by which such programs have changed over time and may change in the future are discussed. Data for the study were taken from biennial surveys by the Association of State Assessment Programs, first conducted in 1977. This study covers data on time of survey…

A project was conducted to determine formal and informal competencies based on an expanded definition of workplace environmental literacy. A secondary goal was to develop a compact between employers and training program graduates whereby graduates would have preferential access to employment opportunities. Issues that arose during the…

A study was conducted to determine whether increased test-taking time on a college-level achievement test would differentially increase scores for selected subgroups of community college sophomores. The study sample consisted of 181 Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students who were classified on the basis of native language, ethnic group, and…