School districts across the country are facing increasing numbers of secondary immigrant students who have low level English or native language skills, and in many cases, have had limited formal education in their native countries. These students must learn English, take the required content courses, and catch up to their native-English-speaking…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography is a periodic survey of geographic knowledge and skill of students at grades 4, 8, and 12. The first NAEP in geography was conducted in 1994 and the second in 2001. Like the 1994 assessment, the 2001 assessment probed students' ability to recall, understand, analyze, and interpret…

This digest explains why public-school governance is receiving increasing scrutiny. It identifies who is held accountable for results in the current governance system and describes recent proposals for transforming governance structures. Since many reforms of the past decade bypassed the school board and district office, reformers are now…

This digest focuses on going beyond multiple choice testing to the development of methods for assessing complex knowledge and performances. Newly designed assessment systems must accurately measure and promote the complex thinking and learning goals that are known to be critical to students' academic success and their eventual sustained…

The best childhood predictor of later adult adaptation is the adequacy with which a child gets along with other children. Because social development begins in the early years, it is appropriate that early childhood programs include regular formal and informal assessment of children's acquisition of social competence. This digest presents the…

To help parents address those aspects of their child's development which may need special encouragement, support, or intervention, this digest delineates 11 categories of behavior for assessment. Parents should not be alarmed if their children are having difficulty in only a few categories, and they should not judge their children's permanent…

Nine years ago, many parents protesting the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (commonly referred to as the Hatch Amendment) accused the schools of invading student privacy in sex and drug education classes, in counseling sessions, and in English classes. Some parents testifying at hearings conducted by the United States Department of Education…

Workplace-based educational programs are not new. Recent perceptions of a national literacy crisis and the need for a competitive workforce, however, have resulted in the development of new programs across the country, many of which provide literacy and language training for nonnative English speakers. This digest focuses on the reasons for…

A mathematical problem is used to illustrate the difficulties non-native or limited-English-speaking students may encounter while attempting to solve mathematical problems in English. Simply knowing the language of instruction and the required math skills may not be sufficient for solving math problems. Cultural issues are present as well. It is…

A preview is given of ASHE-ERIC report no. 7 which focuses on commuting students at colleges and universities and how institutions of higher education can begin to respond to these students' special circumstances that are greatly affecting their educational experience. The diversity of commuter students and their educational goals requires the use…

Presented in a question-and-answer format, this digest offers guidelines in choosing an enriching summer program for gifted students. The following questions are addressed: What are the possibilities? What needs do summer programs meet? Who should make the selection? What does the selection process involve? What variables are important? and What…

This digest describes the three most prominent approaches to essay scoring by computer: (1) Project Essay Grade (PEG), introduced by E. Page in 1966; (2) Intelligent Essay Assessor (IEA), introduced for essay grading in 1997 by T. Landauer and P. Foltz; and (3) e-rater, used by the Educational Testing Service and developed by J. Burstein. PEG…

During the past two decades, a convincing body of evidence has accumulated to indicate that unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a high probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways. This digest presents a checklist of attributes of child social behavior that teachers are encouraged…

Educators have understood the potential of technology in supplementing the instructional process, including the use of technology in the area of assessment. Technology used with good testing practices offers some capabilities that add value to educational assessment. These include: accessibility; immediate feedback; ability to use new assessment…

Noting that most children enter school with a natural interest in writing, this digest discusses how elementary school teachers can become actively involved in teaching creative writing to their students. The digest considers several reasons for teaching creative writing, provides practical suggestions from other teachers about teaching story…