This guide, in English- and Spanish-language versions, shares with parents information about the South Carolina Curriculum Standards. The standards outline state requirements for children's learning and what students across the state should be able to do in certain subjects. The guide lists seven key reasons parents should be aware of the new…

Under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) became mandatory for all states in mathematics and reading for grades four and eight. Under NCLB the stated role and purpose of collecting achievement data from states varies from being a "discussion tool" to a…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

This packet is a primary/elementary instructional package targeted at grades 3-4. The four lessons address physical and cultural geography, basic needs, community services and community helpers, transportation and communication, and political symbols. The materials focus on a comparative U.S./German perspective. The lessons include: (1)…

This packet is a primary/elementary instructional package targeted at grades 3-4. The lessons are presented as a travelogue, stressing basic map and globe/geography skills and presenting case studies of communities (cities/towns/villages) across Germany. The materials focus on a comparative U.S./German perspective. The lessons include: (1)…

In 2001, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted a geography assessment of the nation's fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students. This report presents the results of that assessment. Results in 2001 are compared to results of 1994's NAEP geography assessment, which was the preceding NAEP geography assessment and the…

This curriculum unit for Grades 3-4 (adaptable for higher or lower grades) introduces students to Harlem, starting with black migration from Africa and from the American South to the North, to the Harlem Renaissance (including jazz musicians, visual artists, writers, and poets), and on to aspects of daily Harlem life (then and now), such as family…

This study involves the collaboration of researchers with 24 teachers in a 3-year intervention study aimed at investigating and improving vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of fourth and fifth grade students for whom English is a second language. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data were collected on various aspects of vocabulary…

This report describes a program for improving pre-reading and reading skills. Some students of the targeted kindergarten, first, and fourth grade classes typically exhibited poor reading development due to personal, social, and educational problems. The documents that supported this evidence were observational checklists, parent surveys, pretests,…

Discusses the experience of Grade four students transitioning from Spanish to English in reading a short story in English and then participating in one of two story-related videotaped lessons: an Instructional Conversation and a basal-like reading comprehension lesson. Findings reveal that the quality of classroom talk can be traced into eventual…

Addresses challenges faced by bilingual children transitioning to literacy in English when answering reading comprehension questions requiring interpretation and synthesis of information related to fictitious characters' thoughts. Notes that understanding a character's perspective may depend on inference, rather than on lexical content within a…

Describes study that was designed to explore the verbal interaction and problem solving behaviors occurring within small learning groups of fourth graders working cooperatively on a computer-assisted problem solving task. Ability groupings are described and factors relating to the successful completion of the task are discussed. (28 references)…

Reports on a study of the relationship of sex differences to levels of theme realism, aggression, expressiveness, and artistic skills among 114 elementary students. Finds that boys' drawings were more unrealistic and aggressive than those of girls. (CFR)

Reports the differences found in intellectual achievement responsibility, attitude toward school, and self-esteem of black male elementary school students attending the Milwaukee African American Immersion Academy compared to those attending a traditional Milwaukee school. It was determined that Immersion Academy children performed better than…