Educational research on the factors of student achievement has been limited by its failure to consider the multilevel or hierarchical nature of most data. This study used a nonexperimental regression-based procedure, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), to empirically develop a predictive model of fifth-grade achievement in reading and mathematics…

Much of Indiana is sparsely populated and is concerned with agricultural activity; 70 percent of the state's population lives in its 13 metro areas. Partly because residents have done well without high levels of education, a small proportion of adults possess college degrees. Currently, many new jobs in Indiana are at the low end of services that…

The current status of discipline in Arizona public schools is assessed and alternative forms of discipline are reviewed in this report on classroom discipline. Methodology involved a literature review, an informal survey of 330 Arizona schools, and an attitudinal survey of 300 educators and non-educators. Overall findings indicate that most…

This study, designed to update comparative data on teacher supply and demand and the status of currently active teachers, is divided into five sections: (1) Total Professional Personnel; (2) Letters of Authorization (emergency certificates); (3) New Personnel; (4) Supply of Teachers; and (5) Miscellaneous. Charts and tables are used to give…

A brief overview of the status of state programs designed to assess teacher competency is provided. Tests commonly used by states include tests of persons who apply to educational programs (admissions tests) and tests for graduates of teacher education programs (certification tests). Admissions tests are used by 24 states, while certification…

In this monograph, Georgia's certificates for school personnel are analyzed by "type" and by "field," and the reasons for the development of new certificates are discussed. In the first section, a comparison is presented of types and fields of certification in each of the United States. "Type" of certification refers…

This monograph presents information on North Carolina middle grades schools: (1) organizational patterns of middle grades schools from 1968 to 1980; (2) reasons for establishing middle grades schools; (3) number and size of middle grades schools; (4) curriculum opportunities; (5) accreditation of schools and professional training of faculty; (6)…

The Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) yields raw scores, standard scores, and percentile scores for reading skill, spelling skill, and arithmetic computational skill, and is applicable for determining student competence in these areas for pre-kindergarten through college level. Because national norms on the 1965 revised WRAT are not, however,…

The 1970-71 standardized test data for grades three, six, nine and eleven in West Virginia are summarized. The report is presented in four major sections, one each for the grades tested, with analytical information using State, county and school norm groups. Each group division has illustrated an analysis of the following data: (1) a statewide…

The 1984 state and national averages for high school graduates' scores on the American College Testing Program and Scholastic Aptitude Test college entrance examinations are presented, indicating also the change in the previous two years and the percentage of the state's graduates tested. (MSE)

This document reports on part-time faculty compensation in California Community Colleges, based on a literature review of bargaining contracts and salary schedules, data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and the California Community College Chancellor's Office. Also, a statewide…

This report is the second in a series of biennial, state-by-state 50-state report cards. As in the earlier report, state higher education systems are evaluated, compared, and graded in five categories of performance: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and benefits. All states are given an "incomplete" in the sixth category,…

This state-by-state report card on higher education was created to assist the United States and each state in assessing and addressing the challenges higher education faces. The report focuses on key areas related to education and training through the baccalaureate degree. Data are from a variety of sources, including public opinion information…

It is suggested that some of the technology applied to state Scholastic Aptitude Test scores to measure states' educational performance (particularly use of a truncated Gaussian model) may make it possible to adjust National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores to make inferences about state educational progress possible. (SLD)

The impact of participation rate and nine educational/demographic variables on state mean Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores for the class of 1985 was studied. It is misleading to compare scores on standardized tests without considering proportions of potential examinees taking the test, and the SAT needs to be renormed. (SLD)