Tennessee is in the process of implementing a computer literacy plan for grades 7 and 8. Determining the views of teachers in those grades about computers, what they think students should be taught about computers, and the extent to which they agree with aspects of the plan was the goal of this survey. Data were analyzed from 122 teachers and…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Tennessee eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from the…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (N=301) from a rural county in Tennessee (Iris County is a pseudonym) completed a Rural School Success Inventory (RSSI) and the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI). The study explored differences between low Socioeconomic Status (SES) students and middle/high SES students. The RSSI provided information about…

As part of the language arts curriculum framework developed in accordance with "Rules, Regulations, and Minimum Standards" of the Tennessee State Board of Education, this language arts curriculum guide contains the goals, concepts, and terminal objectives for eighth grade language arts. Following a brief introduction and description of…