This study investigated the comparability of scores for paper and computer versions of a writing test administered to eighth grade students. Two essay prompts were given on paper to a nationally representative sample as part of the 2002 main NAEP writing assessment. The same two essay prompts were subsequently administered on computer to a second…

With the mandate of "No Child Left Behind," high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing,…

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students, a test given for the first time to establish baseline data for measuring student progress in geography well into the future. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess Geography; (2) The 1994…

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. History for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess History; (2) Preparing the 1994 NAEP U.S. History Assessment; (3) What is NAEP? (4) Creating a Framework for the U.S. History Assessment, with What…

This report documents the development and validation of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) cognitive test battery. The cognitive test battery assesses growth between grades 8 and 12 in the content areas of reading comprehension, mathematics, science, and history/citizenship/geography. The battery was part of the NELS:88…

This practicum project was designed to increase student ownership of learning through student-kept assignment calendars and portfolios. The subjects, 63 junior high school students at a private Christian school, were also involved in frequent, cooperative sessions in which they checked each other's work and offered suggestions, with reports to the…

This study was part of a larger study investigating the influence of group collaboration during a group assessment on performance of the group and subsequent widespread performances. This study compared the verbal interactions of students while they completed a science assessment in small collaborative groups with their performance on the same…

This document lists and outlines the specific educational objectives of the content of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress's Geography Assessment. The document is divided into two sections: "Assessment Specifications" and "Exercise Specifications." The "Assessment Specifications" provide an overall…

The Missouri Mastery and Achievement Tests (MMAT) were developed as a result of the Excellence in Education Act of 1985, which required the state department of education to identify core competencies and key skills in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies/civics and to test a sample of students annually. State-level data…

Two studies illustrate the concern that the connection between teachers' beliefs and their instructional practices can be a troublesome one if beliefs are informed by formalist thinking related to truth and caring in the teaching conversation. Subjects, 21 middle school language arts teachers and 216 eighth-grade students were asked what they…

This paper addresses the problem that gender imbalance in curriculum and instruction contributes to sexism, stereotyping, and bias in schools. The study was conducted in a reading classroom in a grade 6-8 middle school of 970 students in a suburban area of the northeast United States. The program focused on inservice workshops and integration of…

Narrative accounts construct and reconstruct stories of school experiences in order to make meaning of them. This document reports the results of narrative inquiry in the mathematics experiences of 7 women and 15 eighth-grade girls in an effort to determine why women and girls avoid mathematics. Memories and reflections were gathered using…

Teacher monitoring of seatwork and homework is viewed as an important instructional behavior that influences student learning. The literature suggests that monitoring can be equally successful utilizing other support systems, such as teacher aides and peer coaches. This study examines the effects of monitoring on student learning as provided by…

This document is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. Students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series of historical consequences. By analyzing…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. This unit explores Greece's most glorious century, the high point of Athenian culture. Rarely has so much genius been concentrated in one small region over such a short period of time. Students discover in studying…