The main objective of this paper is to examine the issue of matching the school curriculum with the needs of students, without the negative effects of testing. The paper next discusses curricular incompatibilities. It is only by carefully designing, implementing, and evaluating instructional programs that the negative effects of ability grouping,…

A review of the literature on the effects upon student writing performance of variations in essay examination topics reveals that such research is sparce and that most of it has been done in the past 5 years. The review, which was conducted as part of a project to develop the writing test portion of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination,…

Intended to help Arkansas schools implement its 1980 State Basic Skills Improvement Plan, this booklet identifies basic skills to be measured by the state and makes suggestions for incorporating these skills into the curriculum. The first section explains the Educational Assessment Act of 1979 establishing a statewide basic skills assessment…

Representatives from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas discuss the issues surrounding teacher and student competency and accountability. For each state, they review legislative policies and actions and the programs of the state education department regarding the use of competency and accountability standards. The…

This report on French Second Language (FSL) education provides an overview of French programs in Ontario schools, indicates the progress that has been made in helping the students gain a better grasp of the language and understanding of the culture behind it, reviews the directions taken by the Ontario Ministry of Education, and summarizes the…

Teaching English as a second language (ESL) to competencies requires that the instructional focus be on functional competencies and life-coping skills while developing the spoken and/or written English structures necessary to perform these skills. A step-by-step approach to develop and implement a competency-based approach to ESL for adults is…

Four Piagetian tasks (bending rods, chemical combinations, balanced beams and lights/switches) were programmed on a microcomputer system to rectify perceived deficiencies in the tasks. These deficiencies included misleading perceptual clues, bias against females, familarity with content and task, and high cost of administration and data…

The information and activities in this guide are offered to teachers who want to assist junior high school students in developing test taking skills. The introductory sections discuss test wisdom, give advice to teachers about testing, provide tips to students on test taking skills, offer practice sheets on completing test forms, and define…

To examine the problem of widening gaps in reading achievement between initially low-achieving children and other students as they move through elementary school, the authors first reviewed the literature on school effectiveness. Using a form of systems analysis called "system dynamics," they formulated a model and a set of hypotheses…

Despite its reputation for being a scientific and precise tool for measurement, psychological testing is a culturally biased procedure that results in discrimination against minority groups, particularly against minority students. Academic achievement and intelligence tests, the two types of tests most frequently used in public schools, assume…

Data and case studies from research on 116 colleges and universities involved in efforts to develop programs to meet corporate needs for personnel and personnel development are reported. The sample was nominated by a national panel and is regarded as exemplary in efforts at corporate/college partnerships. Responses of presidents and profiles of…

Much valuable information can be gained by analyzing the students' wrong responses. When a student answers a free response item she/he gives the response which she/he considers to be the correct one. Therefore, diagnosing the algorithm that led the student to his/her answer provides an important source of information for assessing his/her…

While the goal of language teaching has been the development of practical communication, most language tests have stressed mastery of discrete linguistic skills. Oral language performance-based testing requires test-takers to use and perform in the language in actual communicative situations. The variations in communication created by the…

Focusing on masonry, this module is one of eight included in the Vocational Education Readiness Tests (VERT). The module begins by listing the objectives of the module and describing tools and equipment needed. The remainder of the module contains sections on manipulative skills, trade vocabulary, tool identification, trade computational skills,…

Focusing on plumbing, this module is one of eight included in the Vocational Education Readiness Test (VERT). The module begins by listing the objectives of the module and describing tools and equipment needed. The remainder of the module contains sections on manipulative skills, trade vocabulary, tool identification, trade computational skills,…