The use of audio-visual aids to learning is far from new in the American educational system, but it has been given a tremendous imepetus by the war and the striking success of all branches of the Armed Forces, especially the Navy, in speeding training by their use. This small book is concerned with one of the most important phases of audio-visual…

Twenty fourth grade students wrote brief answers to teacher questions on laminated response cards. Compared to hand raising, 6 target students exhibited more active student response during instruction, most of the 20 students scored higher on daily quizzes, and most preferred response cards over hand raising. (JDD)

Reports results of a study of fourth-grade students in Nigeria. Examines the relationship between parents' willingness and ability to provide financial and psychological support and the academic achievement of Nigerian students. Concludes that parental support influences academic achievement along with other factors such as parental occupation and…

Presents study results dealing with student musical aptitude and achievement and the degree of parental involvement. Reports that 113 Pennsylvania wind instrumentalists were studied. Finds little correlation between parental involvement and performance achievement, musical achievement, or musical aptitude. Identifies a significant relationship for…

This bulletin provides general information about the achievement testing program and specific information about the design, the composition, and the scoring of the Grade 6 Science Achievement Test in Alberta. Contents included are: (1) "General Information," describing the purpose, nature, and administration of the program; (2)…

Discusses middle school student tracking. Describes a longitudinal analysis of tracking among 1,669 students. Argues that the number, stability, and size of tracks are determined independently of the student population distribution. Suggests that tracking is often based upon students' track history and prior achievement. Identifies tracking…

Presents results of a study of whether simulation leads to improved understanding of economic concepts among fifth grade students. Reports that simulations were used in instructing 300 children in 10 classes in the southeastern United States. Concludes that the use of simulations and role-playing activities increased student performance in…

Developing self-motivated, empowered middle school students is an ongoing struggle for teachers and administrators. This practicum was designed to address the problem teachers have in finding specific teaching strategies that would help students become empowered and self-motivated learners. This study focuses on directly integrating techniques…

This publication contains released test items for grade 4 reading from the 2001 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). It is designed to assist teachers and administrators in the analysis of specific test items in order to identify patterns, trends, weaknesses, and strengths of student performance on the Essential Academic Learning…

The Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) is New Jersey's test for fourth graders. It is designed to give the school information about how well students are achieving in the areas required by New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards. This guide offers parents, students, and teachers information about the ESPA. The parent…

The performance-based assessment was developed to assess students' higher order thinking skills in real-life problem-solving situations in Alberta, Canada. These tasks assess aspects of science that cannot be measured easily by regular paper and pencil tests. The purpose of this document is to provide teachers, administrators, students, and…

History fairs are an excellent way to recognize student achievement and to generate an interest in history. Described is a History Day fair that encouraged students in grades 6-12 to research and prepare papers, projects, and media presentations on a historical theme and to have them judged by history professionals. (RM)

Two studies, involving 2 students (aged 11 to 12) with severe behavioral disorders, demonstrated that the use of cognitive behavior modification components, including self-instruction and self-monitoring, led to increased academic performance, and academic skill improvement led to a reduction in inappropriate classroom behaviors. (Author/JDD)

Reports on a study of the effects of an aural-oral pitch matching training program on aural pitch discrimination among 96 sixth-grade string students. Finds that the students who used the TAP Pitch Master Machine made statistically significant gains in pitch discrimination. (CFR)

Contends that the biggest gains in student understanding of economic principles are made in formal economics courses. Reports on an analysis of data from three national tests of economic knowledge. Finds that a formal course or an extensive economics unit leads to larger gains in student achievement. (CFR)