The debate about possible tradeoffs between quantity and quality in schools has been confused by using available data as a basis for conceptual definitions. Under certain conditions expansion of enrollment or class sizes will have either no influence or a positive influence on the the quality of learning. The conventional wisdom about tradeoffs…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of American students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement across time. Part 1 of this report consists of the results of NAEP's 1990 national…

This study was designed to develop effective and time efficient assessment techniques for self-appraisal of science text and science reading and to assess middle grade students' metacognitive knowledge about science text and science reading. Standardized interviews, word associations, concept maps, and objective examinations were administered to…

Based on Larry Hutchins' analysis of the school effectiveness literature, the Profile of School Excellence (PRO-S/E) is a diagnostic tool keyed to 11 instructional and organizational variables which are positively related to effective/excellent schools and which are alterable. The variables are: needs basis; objectives; expectations; roles and…

This study examined differences between stable (n=107) and mobile (n=39) students attending a three-year middle school in Terre Haute (Indiana). Demographic variables of gender, ethnicity, and family income were considered, in addition to mobility, to assess possible relationships with aptitude and achievement. Achievement was measured by the…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of American students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement across time. Part 1 of this report consists of the results of NAEP's 1990 national…

This report proposes a curriculum model for education of students in the age group of 10 to 14 years in Scotland. It also proposes a policy of autonomy within guidelines so that secondary schools and their associated primary schools can develop new partnerships for collaborative planning of curriculum, pupil care, learning support, assessment,…

This study explored fourth-grade teachers' understanding of mathematical problem solving, an aspect of the Vermont portfolio assessment program that has been largely ignored. Teachers' conceptions of problem solving, their knowledge of problem-solving strategies, their selection and evaluation of problem-solving tasks, and their instructional…

The paper summarizes a National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, "Reading, Science and Mathematic Trends: A Closer Look," in which achievement trends are compared in several subjects for 4th, 8th, and 11th grade black students, white students, low achievers, and high achievers. Findings indicate that while overall…