California State Standard 5.3 is delineated as: Students describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the Indians and between the Indian nations and the new settlers. North American Indians once had inhabited regions now contained in the United States that stretched from far north to south and from the east to the west coasts. The…

The main goal of this report is to present evidence on the predictive validity of an English language arts (ELA) performance assessment (PA) administered in Grades 2-9 in a large urban school district. To account for the hierarchical structure of the data (students are nested within schools), we employed hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to…

This paper presents the research and methodology and analyses used for the "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" research. This appendix contains the following sections: (1) Overview; (2) Constructing the Survey Data File; (3) Constructing Composite Independent Variables (Subdomains); (4) Constructing Longitudinal Outcome Variables; (5)…

Designed to sensitize primary grade students to the responsibilities of protecting wild animals, this teaching unit contains a variety of interdisciplinary worksheets and activities. Although focusing on wild animals indigenous to San Mateo County (California), materials are easily adaptable for use in other areas. Examples of activities are…

This handbook, intended for English language arts teachers, principals, curriculum and testing specialists, superintendents, and all educators interested in preparing students for the grade 8 California Assessment Program (CAP) writing assessment, provides the practitioner with information about the content of the test, the rationale underlying…

Describes a California State Department of Education reading assessment that indicated improvement in reading achievement for some third-grade classrooms and decline in others. Explores the "teacher" factors that account for the difference. (HTH)

To provide educational relevance, enable students to gain community awareness, and provide opportunities for self-discipline and individualized learning, an interdisciplinary team (Problems of Democracy, English, and Consumer Economics) in a California high school offer a one-semester course to senior high school students in which the classroom is…

California State Standard 5.6 is delineated as: Students understand the course and consequences of the U.S. Revolutionary War. Students should be able to identify and map the major military battles, campaigns, and turning points of the Revolutionary War, the roles of U.S. and British leaders, Indian alliances on both sides, the contributions of…

A study has been examining current directions in state education agency efforts to reform the elementary school language arts curriculum in four large, geographically diverse states with different policy mechanisms--California, New York, Wisconsin, and Texas. To understand policy development and implementation and discern how advocates advance a…

Discusses the California History/Social Science Standards that organize historical and social science skills into three different categories: (1) chronological thinking; (2) research, evidence, and point of view; and (3) historical interpretation. Addresses the year-long planning guide and includes two worksheets, one for year-long planning and…

Vocabulary acquisition is a critical component of academic language. This aspect of the school curriculum seems to be more difficult for language learners to acquire. This study therefore examines the language arts conceptual framework and the instructional activities for vocabulary development in a second grade mixed classroom with a view to…

While California community colleges are open to all students eligible and able to benefit, most students must demonstrate that they are ready for college-level academic work by passing the college's placement exam once they enroll. Because California does not explicitly define college readiness standards for high school students, the placement…

To evaluate the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education in California, the RAND Corporation has undertaken the California Preschool Study to improve understanding of achievement gaps in the early elementary grades, the adequacy of preschool education currently given, and what efficiencies or additional resources might be brought to bear in…

This study examines the impact of 2 professional learning community (PLC) classroom practices on the English Language Arts achievement of California's most at-risk subgroups between selected higher- and lower-performing elementary schools in a southern California school district. The conclusions from this study agree with the body of research,…

TEACHERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, TESTED THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN EXPERIENCE APPROACH (EA) AND THE TRADITIONAL METHOD (TM) APPROACH TO THE TEACHING OF LANGUAGE ARTS AT THE SECOND-GRADE LEVEL, CONTINUING A STUDY BEGUN WITH THE SAME PUPILS IN FIRST GRADE THE PREVIOUS YEAR. GOALS OF THE PROJECT WERE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE RELATIVE…