Evaluative criteria providing subjective and objective responses has been established for the planning, organization, implementation and/or evaluation of a middle school by experts in the middle school concept. Students, parents, staff, and administration should be involved in the evaluation of the middle school's philosophy. By rating statements…

A model focuses on three levels of observable behaviors that are essential for teachers to demonstrate in small-group learning situations: (1) teacher and student questioning; (2) teacher and student interaction; and (3) teacher monitoring. Five figures are provided for recording observations. (18 references) (MLF)

This report describes a program for improving active and critical listening skills for elementary age students. The targeted population consists of middle school children located near a large midwestern city. The problems of poor listening skills are documented through data revealing the need for attending interventions that have been put in…

This paper describes the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ), including information on how the MRQ can be used and how to administer and score it. The MRQ assesses 11 possible dimensions of reading motivations. It can be used with children in late elementary school and middle school. Scores on the MRQ have been shown to relate to…

The Teacher Enhancement Institute (TEI) on the campus of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania involved a diverse group of teachers actively pursuing instructional improvement through workshops in thinking skills, content area, and group seminars. This test was prepared by a team of middle school science and mathematics teachers at the…

This report provides information about the program evaluation study of a national biodiversity education program for youth in the United States known as "Windows on the World" launched by the World Wildlife Fund. The curriculum development project is organized into four phases: (1) a biodiversity needs assessment; (2) the development of…

Designed to be used along with a multiple-choice instrument for further assessment of the immediate and delayed comprehension of a 1,300 word expository passage on the Kalahari Desert, the instrument is a 35-item posttest, divided into five clusters, each composed of six to eight lettered phrases. Twenty verbatim phrases from the passage are…

This study addresses three questions: (1) whether sex is related to ability and interest in computers; (2) whether a relationship exists between the presence of a computer in the home and a child's ability and interest in computing; and (3) the combination of factors that account for students' perceptions of success in developing programming…

Designed to assess the quality of pieces of creative writing in the intermediate and junior high grades, the Sager Writing Scale (SWS) is intended for use by both students and teachers or by researchers. The SWS contains four scales with four ratings possible in the areas of vocabulary, elaboration, organization, and structure. Validity for the…

The National Association of Secondary School Principals periodically studies practices and characteristics of secondary schools to help inform educators and shape policy. Such studies of middle-level education were conducted in 1966 and 1981. As middle-level education moved into the 1990s, many new questions about education and leadership needed…

This paper presents findings of a study that identified factors that facilitate or inhibit change, examined the effects of the change process on the school/community population, and provided recommendations to school and community personnel who may face change in the future. A three-tier research design included a review of the literature, a…

This technical report covers almost every aspect of the United States component of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's (IEA) International Reading Literacy Study, from the inception of the project to the production of the reports. The report notes that since much has already been learned from studies such…

Developing self-motivated, empowered middle school students is an ongoing struggle for teachers and administrators. This practicum was designed to address the problem teachers have in finding specific teaching strategies that would help students become empowered and self-motivated learners. This study focuses on directly integrating techniques…

Designed to assess immediate and delayed comprehension of expository prose, this instrument is a 40-item multiple-choice test composed of open-ended stems, each followed by four nonoverlapping choices. Control of content of the items was based upon an analysis of the accompanying 1,300-word passage on the Kalahari Desert. Validity, reliability,…

This document comprises an interim evaluation report for the Portland Peers Project, a comprehensive drug education program that serves students in grades 6-8 in all Portland (Oregon) middle schools, for the 1989-90 academic year. It is noted that data were collected through an initial assessment survey, a parent questionnaire, a student peer…