This study of the Basic Skills Program (to prepare the student for enrollment in a regular course) was undertaken by the Student Service Center at the request of the Language Arts and Mathematics Departments. Its objectives were to examine (1) performance of students in the program, (2) student-measured achievement after one semester, and (3)…

Presents current items about the teaching of writing that "every department head ought to know," and suggests some reasons why the teaching of writing might be a personally rewarding intellectual experience. (Author/GT)

The Wallach-Kogan Tests of Creativity and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were administered to 129 second-grade students in either open classrooms or traditional classrooms. No consistent differences in fluency or uniqueness scores were found. Students in traditional classrooms scored consistently higher in vocabulary, reading, and mathematics…

Explains how to set up a testing program to measure student achievement of basic skills. (IRT)

As more states move to legislate minimal graduation requirements, questions arise about who will set the standards for academic achievement and what effect such legislation will have on students. (JD)

Investigates some of the research on how basic skill instruction can be improved. Focuses on effective teaching practices in such areas as goal-setting, use of time, academic content, monitoring of pupil activities, types of questioning, and classroom atmosphere. (Author/RK)

The main implication seems to be that the national government should take care. If it wants to solve social problems at the level of the individual, the Follow Through experience offers no encouragement that it can be done through federally directed curricular reform. (Author)

Examines effects of Indiana's project PRIME TIME on reading and math achievement test scores of second graders who completed 2 years of the reduced-class-size program. Analysis of 3,967 test scores suggests that students in small classes had higher test scores than did students in large classes. (RJC)

Studied factors accounting for elementary school achievement. Analysis of achievement test results in language arts and mathematics in Calgary (Alberta, Canada) shows that social class variables explain up to 45% of the variation, with student-body characteristics explaining 6% to 11% and school-based variables explaining a further 3% to 6%. (SLD)

Studied the relationships between academic literacy skills and progress in a university degree program for Australian pharmacy students. Results for 634 entering students indicate that almost half lacked adequate English language resources for tertiary study. In addition, there was no significant correlation between literacy skills and scores on…

Information about the participation of adults in basic skills education was gathered in the 1995 National Household Education Survey, which investigated participation during the 12 months prior to the telephone interviews. Of the 23,969 adults sampled for the adult education component, 80 percent completed the interview. Key findings included the…

Recommendations are presented for the state-by-state assessment of student achievement as part of the development of educational indicators to be compared across states. The State Education Assessment Center of the Council of Chief State School Officers solicited comments from the states about developing the assessment program. Issues were…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT Far West Laboratory researchers involved in the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study contend that increasing Academic Learning Time promotes basic skills achievement among elementary school children. During the course of the six-year study, researchers identified numerous "helpful hints" for…

Examination of results of several cases in which students failed minimum competency tests evokes criticism of the way the testing program is carried out by the state. (JD)

Some definitions of the term "basic education" are presented in terms of minimum competency, educational accountability, and basic science education. (BB)