A study was undertaken to discover clues to the learning processes of college students by exploring a method for locating and analyzing student initiated concerns about writing in student/teacher writing conferences. Four tapes of teacher conferences with two students from the first and last of a semester were analyzed in depth. It was noted that…

Evidence collected through comparison of compensatory education students' calendar year and school year gains implies that summer drop-off of basic skills is a common phenomenon. There are two possible interpretations of this finding. The first, "forgetting," assumes compensatory education students know less in the fall than they did the previous…

The Denver Public Schools have initiated programs to improve basic skills and to respond to a court order for school desegregation. On the elementary level, programs include individually Guided Learning and Mastery Learning instructional approaches. The Diagnostic Teaching Center Project seeks to improve the academic and personal performance of…

A program model for teaching basic reading and writing skills to secondary special education students is described. Instruction is divided into three levels, within which instruction covers decoding, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and composition. Assessment measures are discussed for each area. Criticisms of high interest-low vocabulary…

The use of Carba-linguaduc equipment (an electronic device that facilitates communication in the nonverbal) in the teaching of basic reading skills was compared to gestural yes/no responses in a study with four severely cerebral palsied/moderately retarded young adults (ages 20 to 30). Results indicated that significant language learning was…

Graduate students do need and can benefit from instruction in the basis of composition, but the definition of what each student basically needs will vary so greatly that individual instruction is the only meaningful way to meet those needs. The demand for such instruction spurred the development of a graduate course at North Texas State University…

Career Development education is inseparable from education in general since, ultimately, education leads to vocational choice. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the school to develop a positive attitude in all students toward work and to foster the idea that all work is honorable. In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the process of internalizing…

This paper provides guidelines for the use of videotape recordings for systematic instruction in functional skills for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Four examples illustrate use of videotapes to teach community skills (e.g., crossing a street) to secondary students with moderate disabilities; self care skills (e.g., zipping a…

One of the developers of Cabrillo Unified School District's Basic Proficiency Monitoring System outlines basic principles for designing and implementing such a system: believe in the process, concentrate on the fundamentals, keep it simple and inexpensive, and always follow up. (SJL)

Five characteristics of secondary and higher education affecting educational measurement in the future are discussed. The five are the basic skills movement, the increasing diversity of students, the influence of external forces on higher education, the trend toward declining enrollments, and the relatively fixed nature of curricula. (PHR)

Suggests that critical television viewing skills of comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation are basic skills that should be taught in a technological society. (MKM)

Technology transfer, for purposes of this paper, refers specifically to the importing of a methodology from one setting to another in order to meet previously unmet needs. The Job Skills Education Program (JSEP), a computer-based functional basic skills curriculum originally developed for the U.S. Army, has been "transferred" to the…

A study investigated the effect of the stated objectives of remedial reading programs on the objectives and teaching practices of classroom reading instructors. Interviews were conducted with nine reading teachers in two highly structured college reading programs. Each operated with a set curriculum, set materials, and prewritten tests, but the…

This study identifies and evaluates changes in secondary schools not meeting the minimum standards required by New Jersey as tested on the Minimum Basic Skills Test. The study identified the deficiencies in three urban high schools and evaluated the progress toward meeting the standards. All but 2 of the 76 recommendations made were implemented.…

This paper, focusing on schooling for children in Africa, recommends a pedagogy that begins with the practical, everyday experiences of the child and proceeds by extension toward more abstract ideas. It is pointed out that the basic areas of survival--food, clothing, and shelter--could be treated in courses in agriculture, home economics, and…