This study investigated home school graduates' potential for success in college by comparing their performance with that of students who had graduated from conventional public and private schools. The basis for comparison was student aptitude for college English as measured by the American College Testing (ACT) English sub-score and the ACT…

A Piagetian-based, systematic instructional theory developed by A. E. Lawson was used as a reasoning model in a 12th-grade English course at Grand Island Senior High in Grand Island, Nebraska, from 1982 to 1991. The thinking patterns that comprised the hypothetical-deductive stage of human intellectual development used in the course were…

As a result of the Morgan-Hart Class Size Reduction Act of 1989, San Juan (California) Unified School District was able to reduce the number of students in freshman English classes from over 30 to 20 in the spring semester 1991. This reduction of at least 10 students per class was a welcome change for high school students and their teachers. The…

Changes in student perceptions over the first year of high school form the basis of this study. Self- and task-perceptions, as well as affect and utility judgments, are measured in relation to English and mathematics, since the transition to high school has been found to impact negatively on students' self-concept in these domains. The impact of…

Based on a literature review, this paper proposes an approach to identifying indicators of learning for English composition courses at the college level. Section 1 provides a rationale for using curricular artifacts as a means to identify indicators. Section 2 describes the proposed taxonomy of model indicators and its framework which uses the…

One of six books in each basic subject area, this book is intended to spark more detailed discussion and ongoing dialogue among fellow teachers who have front-line responsibility for ensuring that all students are prepared adequately for college. It is also intended for guidance counselors, principals, superintendents, and other officials who must…

In 1984-85, Project BITEC was in the second year of a 3-year funding cycle at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, New York. The program provides courses in English as a second language (ESL), native language arts in Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Vietnamese; and bilingual (mostly in Italian and Spanish) instruction in mathematics, science, and…

Time use in different activities in junior high school is described, and relationships between class time use and student achievement, behavior and attitude are examined. A total of 102 English and mathematics classes were observed for about 9 hours each. Data included descriptive narratives, time logs, student engagement ratings and observer…

The academic characteristics and language skills of foreign born Asians at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, were studied in 1981. The 694 respondents were polled concerning factors that contributed to their knowledge of English, their current proficiency with English, and whether their ability with English influenced their choice of…

The academic success of students enrolled in remedial English and mathematics programs was compared at two large state universities, California State University, Northridge, and San Diego State University. The sample consisted of three successive freshmen classes, those entering in fall semesters 1981, 1982, and 1983. The remedial English programs…

At the completion of the fall semester, 1979, a study was conducted at Essex County College to determine the status of the 182 students who had received an "R" grade in a basic communications skills course (COM-080) in fall, 1978. The "R" grade is given to students who have made progress in a developmental course, but who have not attained "C"…

Asserts that teachers should help students develop learning strategies, and describes how teachers' actions can increase students' success. Notes that, if students are given a "second chance" at completing their tasks, their chances of achieving academic success are improved. (MM)

This study of 15 comprehensive schools in Scotland showed that the higher the average ability level of a school, the higher was the achievement in English and arithmetic of individual pupils of different levels of ability, even after controlling for effects attributable to the pupils' individual characteristics. (Author/RM)

Describes a small-scale study of four British primary schools where high numbers of ll-year-olds achieve level 4 or better in English by the end of Key Stage 2. Identifies 13 common school-effectiveness characteristics and proposes headteacher creativity as a 14th characteristic needing further study. (16 references) (MLH)

This article relates the experience of Mrs. Vernon, who teaches two sections of an English course at her high school, and has evaluated her high- and low-track students based on cultural and social groups. She uses these evaluations to shape her expectations for the students' academic performance, their future life goals, and her daily method of…