In order to investigate the relationship between 7 school system characteristics and student achievement test scores in the 45 metropolitan and 82 nonmetropolitan Alabama school systems, 1979 California Achievement Test combined battery scores for 8th and 12th grade students attending each system in the state were analyzed. For both metropolitan…

Two laboratory instructional approaches, individual project and mass production methods, were compared to determine their relative effectiveness in developing student understanding of industry in industrial arts. It was hypothesized that knowledge of tools, operations, industrial organization, and materials of industry could be taught as…

The validity of eight critical thinking tests developed for the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) public schools was studied using scores from 100 students each in grades 5, 8, and 11 and questionnaire responses from teachers. Validity is discussed for providing diagnostic information, monitoring achievement, and influencing the curriculum. (SLD)

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, this report examines eighth grade school variables that might predict college attendance for students whose parents have no college education (n = 2,521). The selected school variables are amenable to public policy and/or skilled leadership, and they include "school structure" (e.g.,…

Understanding and preventing high school failure is a national priority. Structural strain and general deviance theories attempt to explain late high school failure. The authors tested the hypotheses that general (vs. specific) deviance and academic competence mediate the relationships between structural strain factors (gender, ethnicity, and…

To investigate the effect of heterogeneous and homogeneous instructional groupings used in a middle school eighth grade on selected student behaviors, 120 students were assigned to a heterogeneous group and 120 students to a homogeneous group based on several factors. The heterogeneous group was comprised of all students enrolled in the school…

This document analyzes responses to questions included in a national assessment of knowledge of U.S. history and geography in an attempt to determine the relationship between study habits and academic performance. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1994 asked 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students specific questions regarding…

In 1990, President Bush and the nation's governors adopted the six National Education Goals as part of a campaign to increase educational performance at all levels. Goal 3 states that, by the year 2000, American students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competence in challenging subject matter, including English, mathematics,…

The analysis presented in this report examines the relationship between the immigration of "generational" status of Asian and Hispanic students and various educational indicators and outcomes. Data are from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Generational status refers to the number of generations the student's family has…

Three documents related to the passage of Public Law 102-62 are presented. The first document is the House of Representatives Report 102-104, a report of the Committee on Education and Labor regarding the establishment of a National Council on Education Standards and Testing. The Council would be established to determine whether standards for…

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…

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…

Results of the seventh year of testing by the Pupil Assessment Program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1982, objective-referenced tests in science, mathematics, and geometry were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, 11, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests…

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between academic achievement and demographic and school background variables for school districts and school buildings and to develop from these relationships a basis for comparing achievement at similar schools. The sample consisted of Iowa public school districts that participated in…

This seven-chapter report presents information on the 1980 assessment of students' science performance in the province of Manitoba. Chapter I describes the nature of and steps involved in the assessment. Chapters II, III, and IV present, analyze and discuss achievement and attitude results for grades 5, 8, and 11, respectively. Achievement results…