Search

The preparation and use of an objective strength analysis report (OSAR) from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) are described. The OSAR was designed to answer two needs: (1) a format which allows the school to easily answer the question "which reading objectives need more emphasis and/or better materials or techniques in order to raise its reading scores"; and (2) an easy comparison between grades and through time in order to detect consistent strengths and weaknesses. A sample report from a real school, with a fictional name, is appended. An examination of the sample report shows that the ITBS divides the Reading Comprehension subtest into three conceptual subskills and 16 objectives. In this case, the OSAR shows seven strand scores for each of grades 3-8. These strands were chosen such that an average of six to 10 items are used to assess a conceptual area having some continuity across grades. Districts obtain the ITBS group item performance reports on a building-by-building basis. Copies are made for each basic skills teacher for the grades being assessed. (RL)

Members of the teaching profession have been assuming more responsibility for their own work and seeking professional self-governance. Legislation enacted by at least 33 states has legalized the rights of professionals to take part in making decisions about requirements for entering the teaching profession, as well as improving the performance of those who remain in the profession. This enabling legislation has, in most cases, provided for delegation of some of the state's responsibilities for education to bodies of practicing teachers. Most state educational reform legislation includes incentive programs for teachers. This paper reports on the progress of a study that documents the status of legislation which provides for career ladder incentives for teachers, and the role of existing self-governing bodies in this process. The study design incorporates: (1) a systematic review of enabling legislation on a state by state basis; (2) documentation of career ladder provisions in current legislation and the role of existing self-governing bodies in this process; and (3) analysis of perceived effectiveness of career ladder initiatives by governance body members, state departments of education, teacher educators, state teacher associations, and classroom teachers. While the study has yet to be completed, 10 trends in career ladder plans are identified. (JD)

Using suggested guidelines for the improvement of inservice programs benefits," the process of the school evaluation was viewed as a form of staff education program was designed. In lieu of the idea that "team based problem solving can give individual teachers significant staff development benefits," the process of the school evaluation was viewed as a form of staff development or inservice education. The school evaluation/inservice education model providing means of evaluating elementary school programs incorporates five phases: (1) psychological readiness for change; (2) development of self-assessment skills and procedures; (3) examination of evaluative criteria for school improvement; (4) formation of external evaluation teams consisting of three classroom teachers, one special teacher, one school administrator; and (5) designing a follow-up questionnaire. This year-long self-study program assessed buildings, administration, curriculum, and staff and support services at an elementary school in Pennsylvania. The Attitude Toward Inservice (ATI) instrument was administered at the beginning and end of the program. The Level of Use (LoU) instrument was administered at the end of the program. This paper describes the development and implementation of the program, and discusses the results as revealed by responses to the ATI and LoU measurement instruments. A copy of the ATI instrument is appended as well as a graphical depiction of the over-all LoU. (JD)

The inservice program described in this paper was a developmental process that focused on formulating solutions to problems identified by the needs assessment and coordination of staff development activities. The premise upon which this model was based was a recognition of the need for teachers to be actively involved in inservice activities that offer planned experiences, activities, and studies that will increase their knowledge and improve their skills. The program involved 45 elementary teachers and 2 administrators from 2 Pennsylvania schools who participated in developing criteria to assess buildings, administration, curriculum, staff, and support services. Over the 2.5-year duration of the project, faculty involvement and the degree of staff development were assessed. The program was conducted in four phases: (1) a self evaluation by the faculty and administration of the schools; (2) an evaluation of the schools' programs and processes conducted by a visiting committee; (3) the school's consideration of the findings of the evaluations; and (4) a follow-up questionnaire study with tabulation and analysis of the data. A discussion is presented of the findings of the needs assessment and the factors that either prohibited or propelled the changes that had been recommended by the program participants. (JD)

We present here the first dynamic Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) strength measurement of a material undergoing solid-solid phase transition. Iron is quasi-isentropically driven across the pressure-induced bcc (α-Fe) → hcp (ε-Fe) phase transition and the dynamic strength of the α, ε and reverted α′ phases have been determined via proton radiography of the resulting Rayleigh-Taylor unstable interface between the iron target and high-explosive products. Simultaneous velocimetry measurements of the iron free surface yield the phase transition dynamics and, in conjunction with detailed hydrodynamic simulations, allow for determination of the strength of the distinct phases of iron. Forward analysis of the experiment via hydrodynamic simulations reveals significant strength enhancement of the dynamically-generated ε-Fe and reverted α′-Fe, compareable in magnitude to the strength of austenitic stainless steels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of [variant_greek_epsilon] Indi Ba and Bb, a nearby binary brown dwarf system with a main-sequence companion, allows a concerted campaign to characterise the physical parameters of two T dwarfs providing benchmarks against which atmospheric and evolutionary models can be tested. Some recent observations suggest the models at low mass and intermediate age may not reflect reality with, however, few conclusive tests. We are carrying out a comprehensive characterisation of these, the nearest known brown dwarfs, to allow constraints to be placed upon models of cool field dwarfs. We present broadband photometry from the V—to M′-band and the individual spectrum of both components from 0.6–5.1 μm at a resolution of up to R∼5000. A custom analytic profile fitting routine was implemented to extract the blended spectra and photometry of both components separated by ∼0.7″. We confirm the spectral types to be T1 and T6, and notably, we do not detect lithium at 6708Å in the more massive object which may be indicative both of the age of the system and the mass of the components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]