The research literature on open education has reported various studies describing and qualifying the term "open" in education and in attitudes of teachers involved in such programs. To date, very few large scale endeavors to assess student achievement in open education have been completed. Studies which have been done have not shown the hoped for…

Development of the test instrument in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was based on the expertise of many researchers, including "distinguished scholars from 10 countries" who participated on the TIMSS Subject Matter Advisory Committee. However, a close examination of the TIMSS Science items suggests that not…

A brief questionnaire was mailed to all legislators in Arkansas (n=135, with 75 responding) and Texas (n=181 with 67 responding) concerning possible gender differences in legislative effectiveness. Personal interviews were also conducted with all female legislators from both states and an equal number of randomly selected male legislators (20 in…

Program Analysis and Monitoring (PAM) in Writing is a decision-support tool which provides the principal with an informative report, the Program Analysis Report, that identifies needs and suggests solutions to problems in educational writing programs. The Report relates information on student achievement in writing to information on how resources…

Achievement patterns of one hundred first-grade children are investigated with respect to socioeconomic status and kindergarten attendance. Twenty-five pupils were selected from each of the following groups: (1) middle socioeconomic levels who attended kindergarten; (2) middle levels who did not; (3) lower socioeconomic levels who attended…

The convergent and discriminant validities of tests designed to measure the subskills of literal and inferential reading comprehension in different content areas were assessed. A multitrait-multimethod matrix was generated, using three measuring methods: (1) a standardized reading test; (2) individually devised tests; and (3) teacher ratings.…

This paper reviews the research carried out in New Zealand classrooms since 1967, including conference papers, theses and dissertations, published articles, and unpublished reports. Classroom research is defined as any work, irrespective of disciplinary affiliation, which is concerned with the actual day to day operation of classroom life. Review…

This paper presents a series of studies related to the question of how children learn to evaluate themselves in achievement situations. The approach to the research is based on the Weiner et al attributional model of achievement. The paper describes three studies designed to determine the extent to which first, second and third grade children use…

The present paper sought to investigate the usefulness to accountability of identifying outlying schools through multiple regression. The outlier approach identifies schools which differ significantly for reasons other than variation in the predictors. The present study was not able to confirm the construct validity of the outlier approach for the…

This study evaluated whether self reports of students' academic development can serve as proxies for achievement test scores from a national assessment of college student learning. The convergent and discriminant validity of self reports and test scores were examined with 1,568 students at four community colleges (n=828) and six four-year colleges…

Findings from a study that examined the hypothesis that published standardized assessment scores would influence enrollment in Maine high schools are presented in this paper. The hypothesis was derived from the Bush Administration's assertion that regular educational assessment would influence parental school choice. The Maine educational system…

Cognitive dissonance theory assumptions were used in a formal program of attitude change. The objective was first to improve subject attitudes toward an instructional activity, then subject achievement in this instructional activity was measured to determine if achievement was influenced by subject attitudes toward instruction. Two hundred…

The four papers in this collection are intended to stimulate debate in the adult education sector and to set the agenda for further development work. "Learning Outcomes: Towards a Synthesis of Progress" (Peter Lavender) provides a summary of recent efforts to identify, record, and value learning that does not lead to qualifications.…

Policies and procedures for student achievement within a provincial system are described and compared to a theoretical model of systemwide policy devolution. Student evaluation activity is examined at the following levels: province, district, school, department, and classroom. Methodology involves analysis of documents from four elementary and…

This paper reports factors influencing developmental growth of disadvantaged 3- to 5-year-old preschool children in a Title I program at Euclid School, St. Louis, Missouri. A Preschool Academy was designed to serve 45 preschool pupils in an area served by two neighboring elementary schools. Pupils were divided into three groups and each group…