The diversity of grading systems used in 23 of Canada's largest universities is examined. Various suggestions are offered that, if adopted, should improve the communication value of grades and increase their effectiveness in decision-making. (Editor/LBH)

Studies processes in 49 Canadian K-13 classrooms to identify teachers' student achievement evaluation methods. Teacher interviews and categorization of their testing instruments showed teachers beyond early primary grades used evaluations mainly to generate marks for reporting purposes. Such reports seen as reaffirming existing judgments, rather…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…

Presents the results of a comparative study of Canada and Israel. Science achievements based on data collected in the Second International Science Study are examined. Also the intended and translated curriculum are considered. The populations of the study, results of the study, and the similarities between students are described. (CW)

School motivation and achievement for an individual is the product of a complex set of interacting goals, goals which may be more or less significant to individuals from different cultural backgrounds. This paper describes a project which examines the nature of goals held by students from different cultural groups, the compatibility of these goals…

This study was conducted to identify characteristics of the most academically successful graduates of a teacher education program at the University of Alberta (Canada). Graphical data provide information about all of the graduates; tabular displays provide more specific information about those who graduated with distinction. For example, students…

This study reported a number of differences between kindergarten children perceived by their teachers to be "thriving,""average," or "not as yet thriving." Subjects were 340 4- and 5-year-old children from 59 kindergarten classrooms. Results indicated that the three groups of children differed in a wide range of…

An array of qualities exists that distinguish the schools of Canada. Three qualities that constitute achievement are discussed in this paper. First, schools have generally acquired a place of high regard in the eyes of the public. Second, this country has built a teaching corps the quality of which is unmatched in the English-speaking world.…

This book describes recent psychological theories on the nature of intelligence and the influence of environmental factors, and argues that culture and child rearing practices affect the development of abilities (linguistic, sensory motor and perceptual). Studies of intelligence, achievement, and environment in England are discussed, along with…

While there are severe limitations on the availability, comparability, and reliability of education statistics for the United States and other major foreign nations, a comparison of data reveals that the relative ranking of the United States among other nations with respect to educational participation in general is high, but that it is low in…

Examines differences between Inuit and non-Inuit students in activism (social attitude), self-concept, and academic achievement. Inuits scored lower in activism and self-concept than non-Inuits. Suggests teachers create personalized classroom environments to positively affect activism and self-concept, and thereby enhancing achievement.…

This follow-up study helped determine the predictive validity of parent and teacher ratings and scores from the Early Identification Assessment Battery. This assessment involved a random selection of 4-year-old children scheduled to enter a French immersion program in the Ottawa, Canada, school system. In the spring of grade 1, 63% of the original…

Assessment practices used in elementary school classrooms in British Columbia (Canada) were explored through a survey that also considered the perspectives of the people directly affected by assessment: students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Data were collected through focus group interviews with each of the 4 respondent groups from 10…

This report identifies some of the relative advantages and disadvantages enjoyed by differing language groups in the Toronto school system. Eight groups of students were selected and studied in an attempt to determine whether cultural differences produce distinct patterns of performance on a variety of measures. The groups selected represent the…

THE EFFECT OF AUDIOLINGUAL FRENCH INSTRUCTION IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON THE PUPIL'S ACHIEVEMENT IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL LANGUAGE PROGRAM, AS SHOWN BY THIS FOLLOW-UP STUDY, IS DEPENDENT UPON PROGRAM ARTICULATION THROUGHOUT THE GRADES AND COORDINATION BETWEEN TESTING AND THE LEARNING SITUATION. THE PROCEDURE FOR THE STUDY INVOLVED 354 GRADE 9 PUPILS…