Data from the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) 1998 Reading Report Card show increased scores for low-performing students in the 4th and 8th grades in 1998 as compared to 1994, but no change at the 12th grade. Scores for low-performing students in the 8th grade were higher in 1998 than in either 1994 or 1992. Scores for…

These Louisiana state social studies model lessons, developed and written with the assumption that the lessons would be presented by teachers who are certified in the content areas, are designed to be student driven instruction, is inquiry- and performance-based, and assessment is meaningful and authentic. The lessons focus on understanding…

Similes and metaphors were extracted from over 2,000 papers by students in grades 4, 8, 12, and the third year of college to study the effects of age, grade, sex, mode, and writing competence on these figures of writing. Students worked with more abstract forms as they grew older. (SLD)

Utilizing student interviews, this study assessed fourth, eighth, and eleventh graders (n=105) in 11 Maine schools concerning their understanding of 4 natural and social science concepts related to pollution. The results hold direct implications for teaching strategies and curriculum design within the environmental and science education domains.…

Describes the achievement of Israeli fourth and eight graders on the performance assessment of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The Israeli educational system has stressed practical tasks, and as expected, performance of Israeli students on the TIMSS performance assessment is quite high. (SLD)

This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other Group of Eight (G-8) countries. The G-8 countries--Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States--are among the world's most economically developed countries. Comparative…

This is an abstract for an action research project report on improving student motivation. Students struggle with motivation to perform well in school. This study was designed to increase student motivation in the classroom setting. The targeted population consisted of one third grade classroom, one fourth grade classroom, and three periods of…

This publication briefly describes the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment in geography. In early 1994, about 19,000 students in grades 4, 8, and 12 across the nation participated. This was the first comprehensive geography assessment by NAEP and will provide baseline data to measure future progress. Sample questions…

This book describes results from the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment in U.S. history, conducted at grades 4, 8, and 12. Included in this report card are the results of students' achievement at each grade and within various subgroups of the general population. The report discusses the relationships between student…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has developed a new generation of assessment tasks for assessing student achievement in the visual arts. Using paper-and-pencil and performance formats, these tasks draw on the concepts, skills, and processes used to create and understand visual images from a variety of world cultures and…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of what American students know and can do, it also includes a yardstick that can be used to evaluate that performance. Results, presented here for the states and the nation, indicate that just over 60 percent of the students in…

This paper reports a study to address two questions concerning children's understanding of average: How do children construct and interpret representativeness within the context of data sets? and How do children think about the mean as a particular mathematical definition and relationship? Twenty-one students (seven each of 4th, 6th, and 8th…

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) adopted mathematics achievement standards on May 11, 1991 that will be used to report results on the 1990 assessment of mathematics. NAEP achievement levels are descriptions, based on informed judgments, of what students should know and be able…

During the 1979-1980 school year, 23 Old Order Amish pupils in the Pleasant Hill School near Bloomfield, Iowa, took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. On the language arts subtest, five of six third grade students ranked above 50% in capitalization, four ranked above 50% in spelling and punctuation, and three ranked above 50% in usage. Four third…

This report summarizes findings from two national surveys of U.S. civics achievement conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Part 1 reports on a trend assessment of approximately 56,000 students at ages 13 and 17, carried out during the 1975-76, 1981-82, and 1987-88 school years. Chapter 1 summarizes national trends, trends…