Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

Based on teacher estimates, this discussion focuses on the importance of test content coverage in terms of instructional and curricular validity; students' opportunity to learn test content; and the relationship between test content covered in class and student performance on a standardized achievement test in reading. (JS)

The necessity for developing computational estimation procedures has resulted from an increased availability of calculators and microcomputers in the classroom. This article reports on a study of middle school students who were given computational problems to estimate and explain how answers were obtained. Results are discussed. (Author/DF)

A review of 25 studies found that demonstrations of successful generalization of skills by persons with profound mental handicaps were characterized by: several trained exemplars, trained behaviors likely to be reinforced in natural settings by natural consequences, use of training stimuli common to the generalization setting, and training in…

This document provides a framework for local education agencies to monitor, support, and evaluate basic skills provision for adults. It sets out a general approach to evaluation based on three crucial factors in basic skills provision: inputs, process, and outcomes. It suggests some possible program indicators for basic skills, including average…

This paper reviews 25 studies of intervention research in mathematics with subjects classified as mentally retarded. Research has primarily been conducted in three areas: basic skills and concepts; rule learning and problem solving; and applications, including time, money, and measurement skills. Results are discussed in relation to instructional…

Eight sixth-grade students received individualized instruction on the addition and subtraction of fractions in a one-to-one setting for 6 weeks. Instruction was specifically designed to build upon the student's prior knowledge of fractions. It was determined that all students possessed a rich store of prior knowledge about parts of wholes in real…

This article proposes a four-component framework for understanding the literacy of individuals with visual impairments, and defines two levels of literacy--basic (or academic) and functional (or practical) literacy. Implications are drawn for development of self-advocacy skills, development of standards for judging literacy in this population, and…

The Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist was designed to assist preschool teachers in selecting functional skills that children (including children with disabilities) may need to make a successful transition into the public schools. These skills, for the most part, deal with attending, compliance, ability to follow directions, turn taking, ability…

Student participation was examined in three educational programs and their corresponding environments or settings to determine the relationships between situational and demographic variables and basic skills learning and retention. Subjects were secondary students in four high schools and two career centers in a large midwestern urban center. At…

Eight sixth-grade students received individualized instruction on the addition and subtraction of fractions in a one-to-one setting for 6 weeks. Instruction was specifically designed to build upon the student's prior knowledge of fraction ideas and to emphasize estimation. It was determined that all students possessed a rich store of prior…

Describes a study designed to investigate the relationship between students' learning of the standard double-digit addition algorithm and basic fact mastery or numeration concepts. Results suggest basic fact mastery and knowledge of numeration concepts may not be as necessary as previously assumed to learning multidigit addition. (PK)

Recall of multiplication number facts is a major educational objective in elementary grades, yet some children never acquire total mastery. A microcomputer multiplication number facts training program was developed which incorporated programmed instructional features including feedback, positive reinforcement, vanishing, branching and pairing.…

This paper reports preliminary findings from data gathering efforts of the Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Commission on Developing Public Confidence in the Schools, and then charts several applications of some confidence-building techniques. A pilot test identified factors that caused people to gain or lose confidence in schools. Respondents (N=409)…

This article describes the instructional efforts and success of two first grade teachers who cooperated in a year-long subtraction study with a university research team. Performance profiles of students in the experimental and control groups are presented, and implications for teaching are discussed. (PK)