The first segment of a long-term educational assessment plan, for which this three-part report was compiled, called for a study that would survey the status of English language arts programs in the province of British Columbia and serve as a pilot for future assessment programs. This portion of the study presents the results of the second phase of…

The first section of this paper discusses various approaches used in providing feedback on student writing performance. It identifies four categories of feedback--positive versus negative, task-related versus task-unrelated, moderate versus extensive, and teacher-provided versus student-provided--and reports research findings related to each…

If students are to be responsible in significant ways for their own learning, teachers must develop the ability to move from directive teaching behaviors to supportive ones. This paper examines a teacher-behavior model, presented in a book by Muska Mosston, that includes a spectrum of seven teaching styles, ranging from total teacher direction…

Educational assistance to Turkey (1959-1970) from the United States Agency for International Development (AID) is summarized in this document. In 1959 Turkey's National Educational Commission developed educational policies to which AID responded. AID projects expanded from the General Education Services Project (1957) into individual projects.…

Eastern Arizona College has developed a modularized system of instruction for five vocational and vocationally related courses--Introduction to Business, Business Mathematics, English, Drafting, and Electronics. Each course is divided into independent segments of instruction and students have open-entry and exit options. This document reviews the…

Argues against direct formal grammar instruction in middle school. Notes that even students with high IQ's frequently score low on cognitive development measures, with children in the concrete stage of thinking usually unable to identify simple subjects and verb phrases. Recommends that until students achieve a level of formal reasoning they…

Discusses a study of six senior English majors at the University of Houston, three of whom intended to be teachers and three who did not. Concludes that English teachers' prior experience as students has a crucial impact on the way they view teaching. (JC)

Data from 136 junior high school classes were analyzed to investigate how student behavior, student achievement, and teacher behavior all related to student ability levels in class composition. Both higher ability students and lower ability students achieved better in higher ability classes. Class composition had more impact on lower ability…

English language learners (ELLs) were once expected to learn English before they learned critical content needed to succeed in school, but this is longer true, because now federal education laws require that ELLs be held to the same academic standards as other students. There are, however, requirements to assess and document progress on tests of…

A study examined 3 grammar teaching methods to understand why some methods may carry over into writing better than others. E. Bialystok and E. B. Ryan's (1985) metacognitive model of language skills was adapted to plot traditional grammar, sentence combining, and the functional/inductive approach according to the amount of analyzed knowledge and…

Discusses the findings of a 1981 Montana survey that assessed English teachers' attitudes concerning the need for more preservice and inservice preparation. (HOD)

Sixty-eight teachers (39 English and 29 mathematics) were observed in two of their class sections. Relationships among teaching behaviors and student outcomes in mathematics classes suggest that elements of both the direct instruction model and indirect influence model are supported. Results in English classes are less clear. (Author/CTM)

Estimates of teacher effects on pupil achievement and attitudes in the seventh and eighth grades were obtained, controlling for entering achievement. Results indicated strong teacher effects on pupil attitudes in both mathematics and English. Teacher effects varied depending upon subject matter and class mean initial achievement level. (Author/RD)

Describes a study comparing English course-level placement based on writing samples and standardized placement scores, as well as two different methods of grading writing samples. Results support the use of writing samples to supplement standardized placement scores as well as the use of a group holistic method of grading writing samples. Includes…

Discusses use of teacher talk about innovation as an alternative to journal entries in eliciting reflective behavior. Describes a study that investigated whether teachers assembled to discuss portfolio assessment would spontaneously engage in four levels of action (describing, informing, confronting, and reconstructing). Analysis of transcripts…