Relates the experience of a college professor who spent two months as a student teacher in an eighth-grade language arts classroom in an urban public school. Discusses middle school teaching verses college teaching, coming to know the students, discipline, student testing, accountability, teaching writing, the failure of teacher-training programs,…

A study reviewed a decade of data from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Registrant Survey to (1) identify factors affecting the likelihood that GMAT registrants will complete the process leading to graduate management education, (2) determine whether the nature of this process differs by racial/ethnic group, and (3) assess the impact…

An ethnically diverse elementary school committed to coteaching, narrative assessments, and a bias-free ambience performed poorly on 1996 statewide standardized assessments. Initially stymied by a new depersonalized district report card, teachers developed strategic compromises that accommodated the superintendent's bureaucratic directives and…

This article describes the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, an assessment of intelligence for individuals ages 4 to 90. The test is designed for those circumstances in which a brief measure of intelligence will suffice and trained professionals may be unavailable for the assessments. Its administration, reliability, and validity are discussed.…

Suggests foreign students in Australia may not be getting preparation needed to integrate successfully into university study. Research is reviewed that indicates these students not only need help preparing for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) but also with learning at an Australian university. Academic preparation courses…

Regressing adjusted grade point averages (GPAs) on freshman Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and high school GPAs increases the SAT's predictive validity. However, these adjusted SATs change only a small proportion of admissions decisions, do not increase freshman grades, but do change freshman class composition in some majors and limit…

Addresses the political and policy environment that has shaped the educational agenda for rising U.S. state accountability systems, highlighting these policies' effects on the limited-English-proficient learner. The hope for language-minority students lies in pressures on school officials to narrow the white/minority achievement gap. (Contains 64…

A case study is presented of a second-grader whose parents receive a report that her reading and mathematics achievement is far below grade level, based on a newly implemented computer-based assessment and intervention program. Discussion concerns her previous grades, assessment results, the constructivist theory-based curriculum, and legal…

The movement towards national academic standards and high-stakes testing is driven by corporate interests seeking profits and ultimately, privatization of public education. Teachers, parents, and students have had no input into these policy decisions. Research shows that the standards movement penalizes low-income and minority students, replaces…

Recent legislation has pushed reform efforts to new heights. Students with disabilities now have higher standards, which include participation in high stakes testing. This article explains one elementary teacher's approach to math education and preparing all students to be successful on standardized tests. Details of how she gives all learners…

Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of…

One theoretical approach for increasing intrinsic motivation for reading consists of teachers using situational interest to encourage the development of long-term individual interest in reading. The authors investigated that possibility by using stimulating tasks, such as hands-on science observations and experiments, to increase situational…

The present study measures linguistic insecurity among college level heritage language (HL) learners along the Texas-Mexico border. We measured students' self-reported confidence in speaking and writing in English and in Spanish and analyzed students' perception of instruction in both languages. We argue that high levels of linguistic insecurity…

We identify the student characteristics most associated with success in an introductory business statistics class, placing special focus on the relationship between student math skills and course performance, as measured by student grade in the course. To determine which math skills are important for student success, we examine (1) whether the…

Assessing student performance is one of the most critical aspects of the job of a classroom teacher; however, many teachers do not feel adequately prepared to assess their students performance. In order to measure and compare preservice and inservice teachers' assessment literacy', two groups wee surveyed using the "Classroom Assessment Literacy…