How students perceive standardized tests and routine classroom tests on subject matter units was studied by surveying 61 fifth-grade and 65 eighth-grade students in public schools in Michigan. It was hypothesized that older students would more often distinguish between the types of test and would be more cynical and less motivated than would…

This publication reports on student achievement in the basic skills of reading and mathematics at Years 5 and 7 in 52 urban schools of the Northern Territory of Australia in 1986, the third year of implementation of the Primary Assessment Program (PAP). PAP has been acknowledged by the national committee of the Australian Cooperative Assessment…

"Becoming Successful Problem Solvers" is a 12-episode video series designed for use with middle school students. The materials are intended to create new assessment tools for teachers, to develop instructional devices that are useful in promoting problem solving in middle school classrooms, and to promote classroom discourse about…

This report provides information for states and school districts on the use of Medicaid to support related services for students with disabilities. The report first presents some background material on the Medicaid program, including information about relevant laws and regulations. The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment…

This book is designed to provide parents and educators with a set of innovative strategies effective in getting low socioeconomic status (SES) and African-American families meaningfully involved in the educational process of their children, thus motivating the children to achieve and behave better in school. Chapter 1 discusses the need for…

Comprising mostly succinct expository statements, guidelines, and charts, this presentation attacks many cultural and educational myths in the areas of the grading and grouping of students at the middle school level. It stresses the importance of understanding what intelligence and academic success really are, and suggests ways in which teachers…

This series of tables presents information about the racial and ethnic distributions of students and staff in New York public schools in the 1992-93 school year. Specific attention is paid to Black and Hispanic American students and teachers. Information is listed as percent distributions by racial and ethnic origin, by school district within…

This book presents an in-depth examination of 142 U.S. school districts (containing at least 5,000 students and 5 percent Hispanic enrollment) in order to understand Hispanic inequities in education and what can be done to correct these inequities. Chapter 1 presents political theory of educational policy. Chapter 2 presents an overview of the…

This study examined schools which had successfully blended gifted education programs into middle school environments in order to provide outstanding services to gifted middle grades students, and sought to determine the factors that made this successful blending possible. Five sites were visited from a variety of settings and schools that used…

This manual is designed to support community organizations, concerned educators, and parents as they work to improve local public schools on behalf of immigrant students. Each chapter focuses on central elements of quality schooling from the perspective of the young immigrant. Within each chapter, an analysis of current conditions prevalent in…

Research indicates that middle school students need a great amount of physical activity to remain alert, motivated and eager to learn. A study was conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Middle-Level Athletics Task Force to gather and evaluate information about athletic programs that are compatible with young adolescents' needs…

This practicum report describes a 12-week project to decrease truancy and improve motivation and academic performance of three students (ages 12 to 18) hospitalized with severe emotional disturbances. A visible and powerful reward system using a menu strategy was developed and implemented in which students participated daily in establishing goals…

The progress report on the Amigos two-way bilingual education program in the Cambridge (Massachusetts) public schools describes: research on the achievement in mathematics, Spanish, and English of Amigos students and students in control/comparison groups; data gathered on students' and parents' attitudes toward bilingualism and biculturalism;…

The Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB), a school-readiness test, is administered to all public school students at the beginning of Grade 1 in South Carolina. This test is designed to measure a student's readiness to begin the formal school curriculum. The number of beginning first graders tested in 1992 (54,357) represented a decrease from…

This study examined the implementation of the seven critical attributes of the primary school curriculum mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in a single multi-age primary classroom. The study used a case-study approach over a 16-month period. The seven attributes observed are: (1) developmentally appropriate practices; (2)…