The applicability of the Rasch model to data from a typical personality test, the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), was studied. The data were gathered on Junior High and High School students in the Louisville Public Schools (Kentucky). Item easinesses and person abilities were estimated and compared by age group, within each age…

Peoria's efforts with the development and implications of a Minimum Competency Testing (MCT) program are described, including the program model used, numbers of high school seniors and seventh graders who passed the pilot test sequence, and views on the advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness of the MCT program. (Editor/SJL)

In March 1990, the Washington State Legislature adopted the Learning by Choice Law, a law relating to student enrollment options. The law consists of three major components: Family Choice; Running Start; and Seventh and Eighth Grade Choice. The Family Choice law allows parents to select which public school(s) their children will attend, within…

ATTITUDE CHANGES OF STUDENTS UPON RECEIVING GRADES WERE STUDIED. MEASURES WERE DEVELOPED TO DETERMINE THE STUDENTS' (1) ATTITUDES TOWARDS GRADES AND SCHOOL, (2) EXPECTANCIES FOR FUTURE GRADES, AND (3) ESTIMATIONS OF ABILITIES. A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF 7TH- THROUGH 12TH-GRADE STUDENTS (1,000) WAS SELECTED. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO ALL…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 5-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Smoking. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide has three major parts--1) an outline of basic facts; 2) resource guide on smoking and its relationship to health and disease, with sample lesson plans and vocabulary; and 3) appendix, including questionnaires, selected key facts on smoking, a…

A criterion-referenced assessment of reading literacy conducted in the fall of 1971 in grades 4, 7, 10, and 12 of the Madison Public Schools is described. The study was designed to answer the question: Can Wisconsin students read (gain information from) the written materials they encounter in daily living? The procedures for identifying the…

This study examined area-specific self-esteem scores by sexual behavior relative to adolescents' values concerning participation in sexual intercourse as an unmarried teenager. The sample consisted of 332 students in grades 7-12 from a Southern rural school district. Students were asked if they had ever had sexual intercourse (yes/no) and if they…

This booklet answers parents' questions about the following: Kentucky's Writing Portfolio program, the process which leads to effective writing, and the parent's role in the development of children's writing skills. The first section discusses the stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) and how…

The needs of Ohio schools were assessed in relation to the area of Family Life Education, including education in sexual behavior, the prevention of alcohol, drug, and smoking abuse, and related social problems. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase developed the methods for assessing the needs of Ohio schools, which involved…

The results of a survey to determine the number of slow learners in the Warwick, Rhode Island, public schools are presented; guidelines are given for the emerging secondary program (grades 7 to 12). The slow learner is defined; and information is given concerning characteristics, identification, testing, placement, guidance and counseling, and…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 7-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Industrial arts. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The introductory material describes the purpose of the guide, defines industrial arts, lists the major objectives, gives safety rules, and discusses instructional aids. A section of the guide is devoted to each of the subjects covered in the…

Reports a study to examine secondary school students' (n=200) responses to two figurally and spatially similar problems from mathematics and science that require different responses before and after instruction. Results indicated that most students gave the same response to both questions. Reasons for this pattern are discussed. (MDH)

The present study tried to find out whether Saudi history textbooks for grades 4-12 contain global themes, in which grade levels global themes are introduced, the percentage of global themes, local history themes and Islamic history themes, and which global history themes are taught. A checklist of global history themes was developed. Those are:…

A study examined three examples of classroom reading conferences. Subjects (students and teachers) were in grades 4, 7, and 12. Conversations between the teachers and their students serve to illustrate the different learning environments in each classroom. Results indicated that all three teachers wanted to: (1) provide students an opportunity to…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 1-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Language arts. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into four sections, one each for grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Each section is laid out in three parallel columns, one for each grade. The guide is offset printed and staple-bound with a soft cover. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES:…