Describes the development of a Young Teens Advisory Board (YTAB) at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Shirley, New York. Reviews the progress the group has made from its formation in 1987 to the present and describes programs and events organized by the YTAB to bring sixth, seventh, and eighth graders into the library. (JMV)

Discusses the 1997 NAEP "Arts Report Card," which, for the first time, includes theater arts. Relates that results confirm that large-scale assessment in theater is possible and that the assessment tasks and how they were scored should be useful for theater teachers seeking to refine their grading processes. Notes that the study was…

Describes the development of a teacher's renewed interest in teaching after transferring from a K-12 school to teaching the eighth grade. Discusses six points concerning the characteristics of eighth grade students. (RS)

Describes the collaboration between two teachers, involving six eighth grade and two ninth grade English classes, to present a unit reflecting the needs, hopes, and potential of the handicapped. Explains how volunteerism was incorporated into the classroom. Describes preparation, traveling to the Special Olympics State Basketball Tournament, class…

The importance of active student involvement is stressed in this discussion of a competency-based approach to career exploration. Five steps used in developing a one-semester, eighth-grade business exploration course are presented and described. Methods of teaching such a unit and advantages to this approach are discussed. (CT)

Considers how to "unfix" certainties about students' potential and their performances in class; uses three middle school students dealing with language arts as case studies. Describes how learning occurred over the school year. Includes responses that offer a record of success and comments on fighting "fixity" in teacher education. (PA)

Answers questions about the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the new assessment in the arts. Reports that NAEP arts assessment confirms large-scale assessment in music is possible and stresses that arts education is for all students. Urges music educators to use the NAEP results to defend arts education when challenged. (CMK)

Describes an eighth grade reading program that includes a requirement to read a diary. A questionnaire to determine students' favorite diaries and feelings about the genre is described, activities for students to try after reading a diary are suggested, and an annotated bibliography with 10 fiction and 10 nonfiction books is included. (LRW)

Describes a skills development program based on research and writing subskills. Includes analyzing questions, devising a form to record information, researching and reporting findings, and supporting a point of view in persuasive essay. Explains that the program through three years of middle school, adding and refining skills each year. Suggests…