Article examines the processes of forming and implementing the British physical education (PE) national curriculum and presents the essential elements of the curriculum, discussing the effects of the national curriculum on British PE to date, and noting possible implications for PE in the United States. (SM)

Special educators are urged to exercise caution in using the standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics as comprehensive criteria for developing and selecting programs for learners at risk for school failure. The need to transpose the standards into valid, replicable, instructional programs is stressed. (Author/DB)

This response to EC 607 382 stresses the value of dialog between mathematics educators and special educators and raises three concerns about the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Cognitive strategy instruction is recommended as an effective approach for teaching problem solving to students with disabilities. (DB)

This response to EC 607 382 evaluates the standards developed by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics and discusses reasons for developing the standards and groups supporting them, whether the standards duplicate earlier reform movements, the standards' failure to address the needs of diverse learners, research support, and use by…

Describes the use of a matrix process to establish connections between mathematics and science using national standards. The matrix can be established as a regular part of the planning process and can help guide educators to implement effective activities which embed the standards and connections within the curriculum rather than as supplemental…

Three professors share techniques for helping students focus on assessments required in classes. Charts are used to show students the specific concepts, principles, and problems that will be included on multiple-choice tests; rubrics developed for assigned work are used to increase student expectations and direct their explorations; and negotiated…

Presents an ideological model of literacy for teaching grammar. Discusses its connection to guidelines for teacher preparation and language-arts standards. Discusses strategies in language classes to help teachers see language and grammar, along with language and grammar pedagogy, in broader terms. Concludes that English-teaching majors must…

Discusses questions that must be explored and answered if content standards are to improve teaching and learning, examining the need for standards, four types of standards, levels of standards, a framework for reform, and the creation of standards. Concludes with recommendations about how educators can use standards to improve teaching and…

Observes that emphasis on educational accountability in visual arts has led to the acceptance of various assessment tools. Describes the format and content of existing state visual arts achievement tests and clarifies what is being done nationally in assessment through the use of state art achievement tests. (DSK)

Presents a lesson plan designed for upper-elementary and middle school students that uses whale songs to teach musical concepts. Requires students to listen analytically and to apply music terminology to identify, describe, compare, and contrast musical sounds. Notes required resource materials. (DSK)

Describes an authentic assessment framework for music educators by summarizing a collaborative project between a music-education professor and a general music teacher at DeWitt Middle School in Ithaca, New York. States that the project shows how an interactive, process-oriented approach to assessing musical understanding is both possible and…

A three-week geometry unit at a Portland (Oregon) middle school integrated mathematics, dance, and visual art. Studying the graphic art of M.C. Escher and the geometric dance patterns of the dance company Pilobolus helped students appreciate the relevance of mathematics to art and life. Students then choreographed brief dances involving geometric…

Asks whether the National Curriculum, introduced to British primary schools in 1989, has succeeded in raising standards of attainment in mathematics. Analyzes mathematics standards of eight cohorts of year 6 students from five primary schools from 1989 to 1996. Reveals no evidence of rising standards in attainment. (DSK)

Discusses the standards described in the U.S. book "National Standards for World History." Summarizes the book's content and gives examples of specific topics for different grade levels. Believes that world history teachers in Canada should read this book even though it excludes information on the South Pacific, Australia, and Canada.…

Every year, a Vermont high school teacher uses laws of physics to teach students how to design, field test, and calibrate a weapon that fires tennis balls to 100-yard distances. This article explains how the "physics war" grew to accommodate the new Vermont curriculum standards at various organizational levels. (22 references) (MLH)