In anticipation of the base-year survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), a field test of the questionnaire and test items was conducted in 1987. NELS:88 is a national, longitudinal study designed to provide trend data about the critical transitions of young people as they develop, attend school, and enter the work…

This document comprises an evaluation of the 1988 METRO Achievement Program, a summer educational program to help develop the academic potential of primarily Black and Hispanic girls entering the seventh and eighth grades in Chicago. The 5-week program included the following components: (1) mathematics, science, and communication skills classes;…

This report describes a program which utilized cooperative learning activities to help eighth grade students in physical education classes at one urban Illinois school develop their interpersonal skills and reduce the frequency of inappropriate behavioral choices. The problem of inappropriate behavioral choices in the physical education classroom…

In the summer of 1989, Summer Home Learning Packets in mathematics and language arts were distributed to seventh and eighth graders at Calverton Middle School (Maryland). The packets contained review exercises for students to complete with the help of their parents. In the first of the two studies reported in this document, "Reactions of…

How students perceive standardized tests and routine classroom tests on subject matter units was studied by surveying 61 fifth-grade and 65 eighth-grade students in public schools in Michigan. It was hypothesized that older students would more often distinguish between the types of test and would be more cynical and less motivated than would…

Since 1988, Vermont has been developing a state assessment program, the centerpiece of which is the student portfolio and "best pieces" drawn from it. The state's use of portfolio results will be limited to reporting aggregates, but within schools, teachers and principals may use the portfolios as they choose. The assessment program,…

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is responsible for improving the form and use of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAGB is beginning to define achievement levels to state clearly what students should know and be able to do at key grades in school. This report creates a policy framework, definitions, and…

A study investigated a decline in student achievement and related issues that was associated with a drop of 1.60 points on the mean achievement scores of 9th graders attending high school in Kosrae, Micronesia on the Secondary Level English Proficiency test. Research questions included the following: (1) What knowledge and skills are emphasized at…

The College Reach Out Program is an educational program funded by the Florida Legislature designed to motivate and promote students in grades K-12 to complete high school and enroll in some type of postsecondary educational institution. The program is an attempt to help racial/ethnic minorities, low income students, and educationally disadvantaged…

This practicum was designed to address the problem of middle school students reacting to and handling conflict situations with violent behavior in an urban environment. These responses affected the well-being and safety of all middle school students at the school. The major goal was for middle school students to increase their awareness of…

In response to the changes in curriculum as a result of educational reform and the introduction of information technologies into school library media centers, media specialists need to ensure that all students acquire the skills needed to manage information. This study sought to determine what assistance methods eighth-grade students would use to…

The purpose of this booklet is to articulate the student outcomes expected for children at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. This document seeks to reflect the major themes of science education. These common curriculum goals have been developed not to detail separate facts of science needed to be taught by every science program, but to detail a…

In 1986 the United States (U.S.)-Japan Seminar on Mathematical Problem Solving convened to compare the state of problem solving in the classroom and in research in the two countries. The data and results given in this paper are the results of research conducted in the United States in response to the 1986 seminar. The U.S. and Japanese research…

Junior and junior-senior high schools enroll a large proportion of our early adolescent population. The programs they provide, the services they offer, their administrative practices, and the character of their staffs have far-reaching effects. These programs, services, practices, and staff characteristics constitute the scope of the present…