New studies dispel the fear that high academic standards set up some students to fail or drop out. This research finds that raising academic standards has a positive impact for all students in the following ways: (1) students take more demanding courses, learn more, and score higher on tests; (2) nationwide, dropout rates are falling and high…

Compiled to assist advisors at Vincennes University (VU), a two-year college in Indiana, as well as high school counselors and prospective students, this book provides information on placement at VU and entry-level skills needed for success in specific programs, majors, or courses. A brief introduction describes the objectives of the skills guide…

The present study is one example of how statewide minimum competency testing programs can be used to examine minority student achievement trends. The results of 3 years of Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) test administration (1980-82) were examined for Black, Hispanic, and White students. The results were expected to be consistent with…

In an effort to improve the science education program in the Washington School District (Phoenix, Arizona) the school system focused its efforts in the 1983-84 school year on the development of an activity oriented laboratory science program for grades 4-6. This document describes the plan for implementing that program. The implementation…

One in a series of reading, writing, and mathematics subject booklets offered to acquaint teachers with the skills tested in each content area on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, this booklet on reading presents material that can be used in lesson planning and preparation of materials to ensure coverage of all skills throughout the…

This document is the third annual status report of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes nine documents developed during the project; identifies persons participating in the project; states the applicability of effective schools research to all levels of a suburban school system; and sets forth the…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. This document is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides…

A basic-skills testing remediation model for older, reentry college juniors was studied longitudinally and cross-validated against previous findings. Attention was directed to the rates of academic success and attrition for students entering an upper-division university in 1981 as juniors and seniors and majoring in business administration. The…

Proceedings of three regional conferences on the quality of American higher education are presented. Sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, these conferences consisted of round-table discussions concerning recommendations from the national report "Involvement in Learning," as well as strategies needed to…

This report is designed to provide the Norwalk (Connecticut) Board of Education and the entire school community with the status of the school system testing program for the spring of 1987. From May 6 through May 15, the system administered the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBSs) and the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) to 5,113 students in…

The reading learning objectives for ninth graders contained in this volume are congruent with the Texas "State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum." These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for use by teachers and other educators responsible for student instruction and for test development specialists involved…

This report describes various components of the process of disaggregating student achievement data and provides examples of each component. Information is provided to allow school districts to conduct their own school effectiveness evaluation. Results of the California Achievement Tests form one of the bases of the analysis. The underlying…

The Mobile Education Teams (METs) Program of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools instructs limited English proficiency (LEP) adolescents. Funded by a 3-year Title VII grant and implemented in six intermediate and junior high schools beginning in 1984-85, METs provide intensive elementary-level English, reading, and mathematics…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is an instructional program designed to ensure that all college students in Texas have the reading, math and writing skills necessary to perform effectively in college courses. One component of the TASP is a diagnostic test of reading, math and writing skills. Answers to the following questions about the…

In 1988, a study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College to explain declining scores on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) since 1984. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether students had changed in terms of their basic skills at college entry, native language, needs for English as a Second Language instruction,…