The educational assessment of basic skills in Michigan has grown from a needed source of information on achievement to an integral part of statewide efforts to improve school achievement. The educational assessment program first provided information to address two important educational questions: "What is the level of basic skills achievement…

The purpose of instruction in agriculture at the secondary level should be educating students about agriculture: its importance and contributions to society, the development of practical agricultural skills, and preparation of people for occupations in agriculture. (JOW)

Discusses the need to create a curriculum and learning experience that will prepare graduates to deal with the multiple roles that will be expected of them beyond the year 2000. (JOW)

Argues that technological skills and self-efficacy with computers are as fundamental to education as are English, math, and science. Examines the debate over educational technology, concluding that researchers stressing the short-term learning outcomes and cost effectiveness of technology are overlooking its long-term consequences. (PEN)

Now that basic skills have been linked to the economic prosperity of the country, businesses have become concerned about improving the basic skills of young people. A promising approach is the Summer Reporter Project conducted in Wisconsin as part of the summer programs of the Job Training Partnership Act. The program has three main elements: (1)…

This Opportunity 08 position paper advises that the next President of the United States should focus on lifting the achievement levels of our nation's schoolchildren. It recommends that the new President should mount a determined effort, together with states and local school districts, to boost the academic performance of low achievers by: (1)…

Summarizes findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on reading, mathematics, science, writing, high and low achievers, race, types of schools, and geographic regions and affirms the potential of American education to solve its own problems with government assistance at the federal level. (JBM)

The competencies of the nation's workers have been improving steadily. However, the improvements have not kept pace with the increased skill demands imposed by technological advancement and the shift toward a service-based economy. Academic and functional literacy problems can only be alleviated by balancing school improvement efforts with…

The United States is not doing as well as it could in assessing educational outcomes in the 1980s. The assessment movement of the 1980s indicates that its institutional memory is poor, and when coping with outside pressures, it is slow to recall how it coped the last time it was under pressure. It is important to remember such events and pressures…

Educational reform efforts have thus far excluded vocational education. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in reevaluating vocational education's role in facilitating academic excellence and economic competitiveness. Inadequate basic skills remain a significant and growing problem. There is a direct relationship between basic skills…

The high school diploma is attacked as providing inadequate evidence of student development, socialization, and achievement. Discussed are major potential consequences of the movement towards "competency-based education" affecting college admissions, curricula, graduation requirements, and student learning. (AF)

This discussion paper endeavors to inform decision makers about the goals and outcomes for adult basic education in Washington State. It first examines the current goals operating in adult literacy programs in the state, concluding that, although there may appear to be agreement about the very general purposes of literacy education in the state,…

This document discusses reasons for the current interest in workplace literacy and describes existing training for the workplace. Among the reasons for the interest in workplace literacy are changing demographics, which are altering the composition of the labor force, and changes such as the demise of the factory model in the workplace itself and…

Contends that the knowledge, skills, and attitudes advocated by social studies educators are recognized and supported now by business interests. Describes how cooperative learning techniques are adapted and used to restructure business. Concludes that business students prepared for lifelong learning, basic skill competence, communication, group…

The use of national and campus tests/measures to assess student academic achievement is discussed, along with measurement of student attitudes and behavior, with attention to specific tests and testing programs. It is important for faculty to develop goals for student achievement and to determine whether a test fits a given college program or…