This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections for one subject, and the assessment will…

This survey reflects new developments in the mathematics curriculum as emphasized in the curriculum frameworks and state-adopted textbooks. The first section describes the procedure for the development of the survey and the rationale for the topics and types of questions included on the mathematics portion of the test. The second section describes…

These materials contain the test booklets and answer keys to the mathematics mastery program of the West Bloomfield Schools (Michigan). Two booklets, forms A and B, were developed for grade 7 and grade 8. The answer keys are on separate sheets. The mastery program is based on textbook and supplemental materials. (TW)

Summarizes results of a study measuring eighth- and twelfth-grade students' attitudes toward computers. Sex and age differences, computer literacy course impact, and correlation of student attitudes toward computers and mathematics and science are assessed. A table giving means and standard deviations of responses to survey items is included. (MBR)

This booklet contains the mathematics test (computation and applications) for the Wisconsin Pupil Assessment Program for grades 8 and 12. The test consists of 99 items which range from measuring arithmetical skills to skills in computer programming. (JN)

Item specifications developed by the Arkansas Department of Education as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT) appear in this document. Specifically, the social studies materials given to eighth-grade students on the MPT are reviewed. The purpose of an item specification is to provide an overview of the general content and format…

The goal of the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB) Making Middle Grades Work initiative is to increase the percentage of eighth-graders who perform at the proficient level in core academic subjects and who leave eighth grade ready for college-prep work in high school. This document contains a comprehensive improvement framework to aid in…

Reports on misconceptions held by intermediate grade students concerning chemistry textbook concepts, on the relation of reasoning ability to those misconceptions, and on the extent that textbooks encourage misconceptions. Concludes that the level of understanding displayed for the selected concepts, in combination with the nature of students'…

This teacher's guide describes a course unit on the electoral college designed to teach eighth grade students about the election process for the President of the United States. The historical significance of the electoral college, its procedures, and its relevance to today's political system are discussed. Ten lesson plans with student objectives,…

The Music Curriculum Steering Committee of the Greater Albany (Oregon) Public School District 8J developed its own tests and evaluation procedures to accumulate data on music achievement and performance levels from students in third, fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades. Tests for third and fifth grade students focused on musical notation, listening…

Reading and mathematics objectives measured by the eighth grade tests of the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Tests are described. This guide was designed to familiarize the teacher with assessment characteristics for each objective. Objectives in concept identification, component operations, and problem solving are defined for mathematics. All…

This document was developed to provide eighth-grade teachers in New York City with a sequence of instructional activities in science. The major portion of the guide is divided into four instructional units. The first unit, "Chemistry," includes lessons and activities on liquid solutions, suspensions and emulsions, acids, bases,…

In 1974, the College Board in Puerto Rico initiated a program on educational counseling for high school-bound students. The program was designed to help students define their educational goals and career interests before entering the ninth grade where they would be required to make specific curriculum choices. The program calls for the…

This practicum intervention was designed to improve the effectiveness of a middle school's interdisciplinary teams. While the school's sixth grade teams were judged to be effective in implementing the district's philosophy, two seventh grade and two eighth grade teams, composed of 18 teachers and 588 students, were among 70 interdisciplinary teams…

These item specifications were developed as a part of the Arkansas "Minimum Performance Testing Program" (MPT). There is one item specification for each instructional objective included in the MPT. The purpose of an item specification is to provide an overview of the general content and format of test items used to measure an…