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ACT reporting categories and ACT Readiness Ranges are new features added to the ACT score reports starting in fall 2016. For each reporting category, the number correct score, the maximum points possible, the percent correct, and the ACT Readiness Range, along with an indicator of whether the reporting category score falls within the Readiness Range are provided. In the format of questions and answers, this document first gives an introduction of the reporting categories in terms of what they are, how they are reported, and how they are related to the previous subscores. Then, based on results from 12 ACT forms administered to randomly equivalent groups of about 3,000 examinees in each, information is provided on the technical characteristics of the reporting category scores, including score reliability, standard error of measurement, and classification consistency of the ACT Readiness Ranges. This document is intended to facilitate the interpretation of reporting category scores and the ACT Readiness Ranges.

Developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), this user guide consolidates information about the LSAY 2009 cohort into one document. The guide aims to address all aspects of the LSAY data including: how to access the data; data restrictions; variable naming conventions; the structure of the data; documentation; classifications and code frames used; weights; and derived variables. Updates to the Y09 data file are appended. (Contains 14 tables, 9 figures and 6 footnotes.) [For supporting documents, see "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements A--Demographics. Technical Paper 74A" (ED536979); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B1--Education (School and School Transition). Technical Paper 74B1" (ED536973); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B2--Education (Post-School). Technical Paper 74B2" (ED536975); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements C--Employment. Technical Paper 74C" (ED536974); and "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements D--Social. Technical Paper 74D" (ED536972).]

This document, a companion to the "LAS Guide Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment Systems," [ED484135] presents results that are intended to provide Maine's school administrative units with an option for selecting sample performance indicators to be assessed through the Local Assessment System to meet the requirements for the selection and distribution types as described in the LAS Guide Criterion 1. The data in this publication are the results from the Department of Education's Two-Day Balance of Representation Institute that was held May 5 and May 17, 2002 at the Banghor Civic Center. Appendices include: (1) Balance of Representation Participant Lists; (2) Agendas for Balance of Representation Sessions; (3) Rating Scales Used for Establishing Balance of Representation; (4) Performance Indicator Ratings by Discipline (Career Preparation; English Language Arts; Health and Physical Education; Mathematics; Modern and Classical Languages; Science and Technology; Social Studies; and Visual and Performing Arts); and (5) Graphic Representation of Content Standard Weightings by Discipline. [This document was prepared by the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.]

Of the many things which are important to a student's performance, the ballot determines who advances in forensics competition and, ideally, offers a rationale for why some are successful and others are not. This paper aims to lay out guidelines for inexperienced judges and new coaches in writing a proper oral interpretation ballot. The paper also looks at past studies to see what other scholars have discovered in terms of oral interpretation adjudication. It offers a judge's taxonomy for oral interpretation, contending that there are five areas that a judge should pay attention to on the ballot: literature, physical delivery, characterization, vocalization, and technique. (Contains 13 references.) (NKA)

This handbook describes the structure and processes that the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) uses for its reviews, presenting in one place all the standards the WWC currently uses to assess research. The handbook will be revised as new standards are developed and major new features are finalized. A distinguishing feature of the WWC is that it does not directly assess programs, policies, or practices, but reviews and reports on the findings from existing research that meets particular standards. The handbook details the components of the review process, including defining the topic area, identifying all potential research papers that fit the topic area, screening in the eligible papers, defining and prioritizing interventions within the topic area, reviewing the studies of the intervention, producing intervention reports, and proceeding through several rounds of quality assurance before finalizing reports. Review topic areas are identified through a collaborative process combining input from policymakers, researchers, and experts in the field. The topic areas are organized around key student outcomes, with special attention given to academic outcomes, though topic areas might also be organized around non-academic outcomes. Topic areas currently under review include Beginning Reading, Dropout Prevention, Early Childhood Education, Elementary School Math, English Language Learners, and Middle School Math. Seven appendices are included: (1) Assessing Attrition Areas; (2) Effect Size Computations; (3) Clustering Correction of the Statistical Significance of Effects Estimated with Mismatched Analysis; (4) Benjamini-Hochberg Correction of the Statistical Significance of Effects Estimated with Multiple Comparisons; (5) Intervention Rating Scheme; (6) Computation of the Improvement Index; and (7) Extent of Evidence Categorization. An index is included. (Contains 14 footnotes, 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Colleges and state higher education agencies too often lack accurate information about the socioeconomic status (SES) of their students. This paper describes the methodology that Community College Research Center (CCRC) researchers used to estimate the SES of individual students in the Washington State community and technical college system using SES descriptors from the Census information on their geographic area of residence. Data collected by the federal government for the decennial Census provide indicators of SES for relatively small, homogenous geographic areas known as "block groups." Students' addresses were matched with Census block groups and then classified according to the average SES characteristics of their block group. The paper is organized as follows: Following an introduction, the second section describes how CCRC linked students with block groups to estimate their SES, defined in terms of household income, education, and occupation. This analysis was conducted by using data from both the 1990 and 2000 Censuses. In the third section, CCRC used cluster analysis to combine Census block groups into 15 demographically distinctive "community clusters," and then matched each student with a cluster. Doing this enabled them to classify students according to a richer set of information than just income, education, and occupation. These community clusters will be useful to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (WSBCTC) and its member colleges in gauging their "market penetration" in various demographic sectors of the state, and in identifying particular communities where students may face barriers to college access. Given the interest of the state in ensuring access to college by students from low-income families, the fourth section shows how the community clusters break out by SES. This paper concludes with some suggestions for ways that state agencies and colleges in other states can use this methodology. (Contains 5 figures, 2 tables, and 3 endnotes.) [This publication was written with David Prince and Doug Whittaker.]

Asserting that the ability to compare is basic to any cognitive process, this paper draws on Reuven Feuerstein's theory of mediated learning experience to guide teachers in encouraging the development of young students' spontaneous comparative abilities. Teachers are to provide students with concepts, labels, operations, and relationships to describe the similarities and differences among the stimuli they encounter. The teacher promotes students' feelings of independence and individuality by encouraging divergent responses and a flexibility in the use of attributes for comparison. The bulk of the paper is organized into two lessons for teachers: the importance and process of comparison; and mediating children's comparative activities. (EV)

This paper describes the feedback included in operational achievement level setting (ALS) procedures for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It does not describe the feedback form field trials, pilot studies, or other research studies related to the NAEP. The NAEP ALS process includes three rounds of item-by-item ratings, and feedback is provided after each round. This means that panelists have additional information to consider for subsequent rounds of ratings, but additional training is required for no more than one of two new forms of feedback for each round. Most of the feedback is aimed at increasing interjudge and intrajudge consistency. The types of feedback provided are: (1) cutscores and standard deviations; (2) student performance data; (3) interrater consistency data; (4) whole booklet data; (5) interrater consistency data, including "Reckase" charts of performance data; and (6) consequences data. The use of each type of feedback is discussed, and panelists' evaluations of the feedback provided are noted. Panelists' responses indicate high levels of understanding about and confidence in using the feedback. The Reckase charts appear to be a significant addition to the array of feedback information. (Contains 9 tables, 17 figures, and 22 references.) (SLD)

Classical test theory is based on the concept of a true score for each examinee, defined as the expected or average score across an infinite number of repeated parallel tests. In most cases, there is only a score from a single administration of the test in question. The difference between this single observed score and the underlying true score is error. This paper focuses on accuracy as a function of particular observed scores, questioning whether a student's unknown true score is likely to be in the same category as the student's observed score. A limited set of test items was retrieved from a state-wide examination. Sixteen multiple-choice mathematics items for 3,000 students were scaled using the three-parameter logistic option. The primary conclusion from this study is that classification accuracy functions based on observed scores look quite different from accuracy functions based on true scores. For some of the observed scores, the most likely true score is an adjacent classification category. A further exploration considered how observed scores are placed on the true score scale and whether using the same cut-points for true and observed scores is the best approach. The overall conclusion is that there is no way, short of a perfectly reliable test, of simultaneously maximizing observed score classification accuracy and the accuracy with which overall population distributions are estimated. Nonetheless, observed score classification accuracy curves do provide information about individual observed scores that is quite useful. These curves also provide a way of illustrating the consequences of particular decisions about the scaling and equating of performance category subscores. An appendix contains a visual depiction of the probability computations from the study. (SLD)

Research studies using booklet classification were implemented by the American College Testing Program to investigate the linkage between the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Achievement Levels Descriptions and the cutpoints set to represent student performance with respect to the achievement levels. This paper describes the process and reports the results of the booklet classification study (BCS) implemented for the science achievement levels. It explores the possibility of using booklet classification as a way to set achievement levels by investigating methodologies for computing achievement level cutpoints using booklet classification data. These methodologies were applied to BCS data for science in this study and had been applied to geography and U.S. history. The BCS for science achievement levels involved grades 4 and 8, with 13 panelists for each grade level. Eighteen booklets were selected from NAEP forms, and 22 from other sources. The BCS for science, geography, and U.S. history have all resulted in panelists' classifying student performance at a lower level than plausible values scores indicate. These results indicate that cutpoints computed from booklet classification data would be higher than cutpoints based on the item-by-item rating methods that were used operationally. Procedures using the proportional odds model and nonparametric discriminant analysis were developed as a way to compute Achievement Level cutpoints using booklet classification data. Further refinements to these procedures, especially the nonparametric discriminant analysis, are needed before they could be used operationally to set cutpoints. (Contains 15 tables, 3 figures, and 13 references.) (SLD)

This paper is an update of research report 2011-TS-02. It presents tables that show the minimum and maximum salaries for BC's Category 5 and Category 6, or equivalent, for provinces and territories. A sample of school districts is included for those provinces/territories with multiple collective agreements.

The national imperative for increased postsecondary level completions has never been clearer. In order to remain competitive in an ever-changing global market, the United States must produce an educated workforce; one that is ready to lead and inspire a 21st century economy. Recognizing this urgency, the President, several foundations, policy organizations, and states recently set several bold college completion goals. Since last year, the State Higher Education Executive Officers have added to the public dialogue with the release of a series of reports, including trends in national degree production and costs related to postsecondary completions and sub-baccalaureate certificate and degree growth. This report is a follow-up to "Degree Production and Cost Trends: A National Analysis", released in August 2010. With a focus on completions by program area over the last five years, the following questions continue to drive the authors' research and analysis: (1) What trends can be observed in completion production?; (2) Are there different state factors driving results?; and (3) What are the policy implications of a state's completion production? This analysis uses data downloaded directly from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), unlike the "Degree Productions and Costs Trends" report, which utilized the "Delta Cost Project's" dataset. To maintain consistency across these reports, institutions included in this analysis were based on data reported in the 2009 IPEDS Institutional Characteristics Survey. They include Title IV, public, postsecondary institutions from all fifty states that reported both full-time equivalent (FTE) and completions by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. This analysis looks at degrees and certificates awarded by fields of study based on data collected in the IPEDS Completions Survey. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) created the first CIP taxonomy in 1980 to track fields of study, which was revised in 1985, 1990, 2000, and, 2010. For the purposes of this analysis, the 2-digit CIP series is utilized rather than the 6-digit or 4-digit CIP codes, the latter of which are more specific descriptions of a field of study. Further, the 57 individual 2-digit CIP codes were categorized into nine groups (see Appendix 1b); seven of those groups are examined in this report: (1) Arts and Humanities; (2) Business and Communication; (3) Education; (4) Health; (5) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); (6) Social and Behavior Sciences and Human Services; and (7) Trades. Additionally, this report groups academic awards as follows: (1) Certificate includes: Award of less than 1 academic year; Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years; and Award of at least 2 but less than 4 academic years; (2) 2 or 4 Year Degree includes: Associates degree and Bachelors degree; (3) Advanced Degree includes: Masters degree; Doctors degree; and First-professional degree; and (4) Post Degree or Advanced Certificate includes: Post-masters certificate; Postbaccalaureate certificate; and First-professional certificate. Although this report looks at total completions rather than a ratio of completions by student, parts of the analysis use FTE to put completions data into greater context. IPEDS describes FTE as "a single value providing a meaningful combination of full-time and part-time students." IPEDS provides two different measures of FTE, one based on enrollment and the other based on contact and credit hours, in other words institutional activity. Since the FTE calculated from contact and credit hours represents an institution's annual activity, this report uses this annual student FTE measure for the years analyzed in this study, 2003-2004 to 2008-2009. Appended are: (1) Carnegie Classification Institution Types; and (2) SHEEO Groupings of Program Areas Based on 2-Digit CIP Codes. (Contains 10 figures, 6 tables and 5 footnotes.) [This paper was written with support from Chris Crumrine and Tanya I. Garcia.

A decade ago, before the tech boom collapsed and the digital economy bubble burst, it seemed to some that issues surrounding information technology (IT) might be central to the politics of the early 21st century. But after September 11, 2001, with so much else on everyone's minds, "digital politics" seemed a boring sideshow. Technocrats, techno-wonks, and computer engineers argued over such issues as the finer points of open source versus proprietary software, while the rest used the Internet in peace. Recently, however, digital politics have made a comeback, with associated issues in the media constantly and before Congress seemingly every week. The debate over IT policy issues does not take place in a vacuum or only in the corridors of Congress. From think tanks to trade associations to single-issue advocacy groups, a proliferation of organizations fights to shape digital policy debates. The paper presents a field guide to help the reader understand the politics of IT. It describes the major groups of players in the IT policy debate and discusses how they differ along two key dimensions shaping policy: individual empowerment vs. societal benefit; and laissez-faire vs. government regulation. It then uses four timely and important policy cases (privacy, taxation, copyright protection, and net neutrality) to illuminate how these politics play out today in the United States. While primarily focused on American digital politics, this framework is not entirely unique to the United States. (Contains 9 endnotes.)

This annual report updates the tuition and fee prices published by all of the public higher education institutions in the WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) member states. It is the product of an annual survey administered to the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) offices in each state, with a couple of exceptions. There is no centralized coordinating or governing body for the two-year colleges in Arizona or for the technical institutes in South Dakota. Therefore, personnel at the individual institutions in those two states responded to this survey. Appendices include: (1) The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; (2) Number of Public Four-Year Institutions by Carnegie Classification in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (3) Number of Public Two-Year Institutions by State in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (4) Procedure for Converting Current Dollars to Constant Dollars; (5) Methodology; (6) Mandatory Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (7) Mandatory Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; and (8) Survey Instructions. (Contains 21 tables and 78 endnotes.) [This paper was prepared by the Office of Policy Analysis and Research.]

This "Packet of Information for Professionals" (PIP) was developed for professionals who work with gifted and talented students who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of PIP is to offer recommendations that will lead to a positive experience for twice-exceptional students who participate in specialized programs for gifted/talented students. This PIP was originally developed in 2007 for the Student Program Faculty and Professional Staff of the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development (B-BC). It has been revised and expanded to incorporate multiple forms of special gifted programs including academic year Saturday programs, which can be both enrichment or accelerative; non-residential summer programs; and residential summer programs. Appended are: (1) Definition of Giftedness; (2) Disability Categories of IDEA; (3) Explanation of Federal Protections for Students with Disabilities; (4) Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); (5) The Assessment Process at the Belin-Blank Center's Assessment and Counseling Clinic; (6) Web Sites for People Who Work with Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); and (7) Annotated Bibliography. [Funding for this paper was provided by Messengers of Healing Winds Foundation.]

This "Packet of Information for Families" (PIF) was developed for parents whose children are identified as both gifted/ talented and on the autism spectrum, or twice-exceptional. Parents of twice-exceptional children often search for appropriate and challenging enrichment programs for their child, but the dearth of information available about how best to prepare for this experience can make the process overwhelming. Recommendations for preparing a child vary depending on the type of program and age of the student; therefore, some of the information provided in PIF may not be applicable to one's specific situation. To help navigate through this process, the authors have provided a figure in Section II that outlines specific issues related to residential programs and/or non-residential programs. They hope that PIF provides support and guidance to parents who are often in situations of having to advocate for their twice-exceptional child. PIF is designed to complement the "Packet of Information for Professionals," (PIP). Appended are: (1) Maryland Report (1972) Definition of Giftedness; (2) The Thirteen IDEA Disability Categories; (3) Explanation of Federal Protections for Students with Disabilities; (4) Explanation of Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs); (5) Explanation of a 504 Plan; (6) The Belin-Blank Center's Assessment and Counseling Clinic; (7) Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); (8) Optional Student Disclosure Sheet; (9) Web Sites for Parents with a Child with ASD; and (10) Books on Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism. [Funding for this paper was provided by the Messengers of Healing Winds Foundation.]

Because of the limitations of the traditional approaches to classifying a child's characteristics, a number of authors have proposed to describe children on the basis of a defined set of functional skills or abilities rather than by etiological or deficit category (Bailey et al. (1993); Holt (1957); Linden (1963)). Building on this earlier work, Simeonsson and Bailey (1988) developed the ABILITIES Index (AI), an index designed to assess functional characteristics rather than skills. Although the ABILITIES Index was not originally designed to link student characteristics to the patterns of expenditure variations, the size of the SEEP (Special Education Expenditure Project) student sample offers a unique opportunity to apply the AI classification scheme to explore how such a tool might be used to explain the patterns of variations in expenditures on students with disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to compare the variance in expenditures explained by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) disability categories with the dimensions delineated in the ABILITIES Index. The report demonstrates that the AI and IDEA disability categories are useful both independently and together in explaining the variation in expenditures on students with disabilities, while controlling for other student background and community/regional variables. The analysis that follows includes three stages. The first stage determines the percentage of the variation in spending explained by the student's primary disability (from among the 13 IDEA disability categories). The second phase explores whether a particular child has a second, third, or more disabilities, and explores the extent to which these disabilities contribute to expenditure variations. The third phase of the analysis examines an alternative approach to classifying students. A bibliography is included. (Contains 10 exhibits and 8 footnotes.)

Most teachers of mathematics would agree that a student's major difficulty when studying mathematics is the mastery of "vocabulary." A taxonomy could provide an outline of the various types of vocabulary and could suggest their relative interrelationships. One proposed taxonomy has five levels that seem to recur. The levels seem to have interactive properties, since a single term can be included in a number of categories, depending on the context. The various levels include (1) standard--common words normally encountered in oral and written language; (2) transitional--words which have both a mathematical referent as well as a common referent whose meanings are not the same; (3) technical--words specific to mathematics; (4) changeable--technical terms whose meanings change within the area of mathematics; and (5) phrases--multiple word terms with specialized meanings as a unit, with the meaning of the unit being more than a compilation of the meanings of the parts. This interrelated taxonomy of mathematical vocabulary could have implications for instruction, diagnosis, readability, problem solving, materials selection, the organization and development of instructional materials, curriculum development, and communication. (HOD)

Beyond the first several thousand most commonly used words in a language, direct vocabulary instruction is not efficient. Use of inferential skills then becomes the most effective way of learning new vocabulary; it is the way native speakers build their 60,000 word vocabularies. Because the skill is not automatically transferable, it must be systematically taught to students of foreign languages. This task is best accomplished with a good classification scheme for context clues. An improved classification system that uses grammatical as well as semantic clues and that stresses both structural and semantic dimensions has been developed. It consists of four overall categories: direct-explanation, overall-context, trans-sentence, and intra-sentence clues. For each of the last two categories there are two dimensions, structural and semantic. The scheme can be useful for native English speakers, learners of English, and learners of other foreign languages. Five tables display each category, including definitions, examples, and illustrative sentences. (MSE)

Bayesian and classical approaches to classification of vocational data were compared using an educational data set from a longitudinal study of professional growth and development in organizations (P. Ruohotie et al., 1994). Data were from 2,430 workers in companies in Finland who completed a questionnaire with behavior and background statements. The main purpose of this study was to look for new possibilities in analyzing multiform vocational data starting from the level at which traditional linear methods become too complex to apply. After describing the data and the theory of professional growth, the paper discusses linear discrimination and its use in the social sciences. Bayesian modeling with the BAYDA software package is described. It is concluded that linear and nonlinear methods support each other depending on the subject of the study. The Bayesian approach, in the form of the BAYDA program, is still under rapid development, but it appears to provide a valuable tool for analysis. (Contains 10 figures, 21 tables, and 12 references.) (SLD)

The short-term (45-day) stability of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (P. McDermott, N. Marston, and D. Stott, 1993) was studied with 51 first and fifth graders, seven of whom were classified as "exceptional/disabled." Significant test-retest reliability coefficients were obtained, and mean differences from test to retest did not exceed 0.5 raw score points. Only two scales (Solitary Aggressive/Impulsive and Lethargic/Hypoactive) showed significant changes across the retest intervals for T scores. Individual variation for some scales was at times quite extreme. Syndromic profile classifications and discriminant classifications were also significantly consistent across the retest interval. (Contains 31 references, 6 tables, and 1 figure.) (Author/SLD)

Texas A&M University-Kingsville library looks for students that will be able to work the full four years of their university stay. The Government Documents department has the additional task of finding students who both like and are precise in working with numbers, and instructing those students on how to read Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification. This paper addresses the problem of efficiently and routinely training Government Document student assistants in libraries, and includes the different training tools that are utilized in the newly developed written training program. Highlights include a description of government documents; federal government departments (agencies); category class structure; congressional information; tools for locating documents; student assistant training checklist; the government documents student assistant spot check form; and the student assistant SuDoc multiple choice test. (AEF)

This paper examines typical problems that students of English as a Second Language (ESL) have in expository writing, namely those involving classification criteria and hierarchical categories. It also provides a set of guidelines for the practice of classification skills as well as specific classification exercises. (18 references) (MDM)

Studies evaluating hypotheses about sources of differential item functioning (DIF) are classified into two categories: observational studies evaluating operational items and randomized DIF studies evaluating specially constructed items. For observational studies, advice is given for item classification, sample selection, the matching criterion, and the choice of DIF techniques, as well as how to summarize, synthesize, and translate DIF data into DIF hypotheses. In randomized DIF studies of specially constructed items, specific hypotheses, often generated from observational studies, are evaluated under rigorous conditions. Advice for these studies focuses on the importance of carefully constructed items to assess DIF hypotheses. In addition, randomized DIF studies are cast within a causal inference framework, which provides a justification for the use of standardization analyses or logistic regression analysis to estimate effect sizes. Two studies that have components spanning the observational and controlled domains are summarized for illustrative purposes. Standardization analyses are used for both studies. Special logistic regression analyses of an item from one of these studies are provided to illustrate a new approach in the assessment of DIF hypotheses using specially constructed items. (Contains 5 figures and 39 references.) (Author)

Argues that the Woesian three domain view of life should replace the five kingdom taxonomic scheme presented in most general biology texts and courses. Presents evidence for employing the three domain scheme and a related activity for classroom use. Contains 11 references. (WRM)

An approach to teaching the paradigmatic and reciprocal uses of the "se" construction in Spanish is presented. A system of eight basic categories of the paradigmatic reflexives is outlined, including "do-it-yourself," reciprocal, reflexive of change, consumer, reflexive of interest, optional, change of meaning, and reflexive-only classifications. Textbook treatments of the constructions are reviewed, and the common limitations found include partial explanations, misleading information such as the use of incomplete English translations, erroneous information, and drills that do not help the teacher recognize student problems. The proposed approach focuses on the order of presentation of the categories of uses and on the nature of the drills and practice items. The categories are grouped for presentation in this order: reflexive of change, preferably presented separately for animate and inanimate subjects; change of meaning; reflexive-only and optional; reflexive of interest and consumer; and "do-it-yourself" and reciprocal. Practice exercises requiring creative responses, including guided questions, guided dialogues, and transformation exercises are recommended and some samples are appended. (MSE)

This guide to affective social skill development discusses these points: (1) The targets of our efforts are first of all teachers, then the peer group, and finally individuals, (2) Systematic training of teachers, both in the cognitive and experimental basis of human relationships, is a necessary prerequisite to the implementation and development of an affective-social skills program, (3) needs assessment of individual problems and support systems constitute an imperative prerequisite for implementing an affective-social development program, (4) Risk factors and support systems can be optimally identified for individuals in a group setting through the use of multi-method, multi-trait assessment and computer analysis and feedback; (5) Developmental strategies of intervention can be parsimoniously grouped under three functional classifications (feedback, social modeling and reinforcement, and environmental change), (6) Developmental interventions are easier than crisis reconstructions, and are most effective when teachers are provided direct information regarding high-risk, low-support children that they can apply individually and in small groups; (7) Change is developmental and multi-dimensional. It does not occur uniformly; (8) Temperament-aptitude clusters are associated with risk-support dimensions and mediate susceptibility to treatment and change outcomes; and (9) change in affective-social skills can and should be measured by an array of indicators. (Author/JLL)

This assessment guide represents a method for evaluating visual arts achievement by third graders. The artwork presented can be used to determine whether students have met learning objectives and are ready to advance, and also as a diagnostic tool for school improvement. The guide is based on selected sample learning objectives from "State Goals for Learning and Sample Learning Objectives: Fine Arts." These objectives have been formulated into a taxonomic design that measures the following parameters: (1) identification of terms, tools, and processes; (2) understanding of affective intent; (3) ability to form non-verbal cognitive deductions; and (4) sensitivity to perceptual aspects. The guide demonstrates the possibility of a standardized approach to the evaluation of art achievement. There are 52 pages of illustrations ranging from black and white photographs of tools and artifacts to full-color reproductions of paintings by famous artists. Each pages consists of two or more "boxes" containing the illustrations, along with printed questions requiring the child to select the right answers among the boxes. A teacher's guide is included. An appendix lists the sample learning objectives. (SLD)

This paper addresses the need for having a specialist in vocational guidance who knows what needs to be done to implement and improve vocational guidance services. The person who fills the role of vocational guidance specialist must be aware of the potential roles that each group within the educational system can play in fostering needed guidance services, and must serve as a catalyst for bringing these resources together into a viable program. To do this, the author posits that the specialist must have an in-depth and practical understanding of the educational system, the world of work, the individual and the process of vocational development, and procedures for bringing people together in a common effort. For purposes of providing insight into the breadth and level of this person's understanding, the author provides a comprehensive description of relevant competencies. (SJL)

This handbook treats a restricted set of statistical procedures for addressing some of the most prevalent technical issues that arise in domain-referenced testing. The procedures discussed here were chosen because they do not necessitate extensive computations. The five major sections of the paper cover: (1) item analysis procedures for using data to help identify items that may be flawed; (2) a simple procedure for establishing a cutting score; (3) a procedure for establishing an advancement score; (4) two types of error that can be made when a decision about an examinee is based on the examinee's observed score rather than his or her universe score; and (5) a number of issues associated with assessing the quality of domain-referenced measurement procedures for a group of examinees. (Author/BW)

Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification device that orders educational objectives in a hierarchical fashion, ranging from relatively simple skills of remembering to more complex skills of evaluating and judging. In the classroom, the taxonomy can be used as the basis of a series of questioning strategies designed to foster intellectual skills. In a reading program, for example, teachers could have students read books, stories, or tall tales, and then answer questions based on the taxonomy, with knowledge derived from the reading. The questions could be prepared by the teacher, along with the answers, and placed in a "folderbook," a learning package that displays each questioning level, a vocabulary page, an attractive cover, and a brief summary of the book. This can serve as a model for students, who are then asked to prepare their own folderbooks for a favorite book. Students have reported that they have a better understanding of a book after using a folderbook as a study guide. The folderbooks also seem to create a pride in work that assists in promoting academic achievement. (FL)

Five activity booklets are presented for implementing Project EAGLE, an enrichment program for gifted and talented primary-level children. The first booklet, "Sound," contains four activity pages to accompany teaching of the concept that sound is transmitted through air to the ear. The "Groups 1" booklet provides nine enrichment activities involving classification of people and objects into groups based on variable attributes. "Geoboards 1" illustrates 10 geoboard shapes for students to copy on their geoboards and on paper. "Animals 1" presents five activities dealing with the different habitats of animals (air, land, and water.) "Dinosaurs 1" identifies dinosaurs and classifies them as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores in six enrichment activities. (JDD)

This paper describes a system of classifying client responses in counseling interviews. The author begins his classification at Stage 1, where the client's self-evaluation and levels of independence and self-autonomy are so low he cannot admit he needs help, and delineates each stage of the client's reaction through Stage 12, the final step, where the client's self-evaluation and levels of independence and self-autonomy have increased so that he can now accept the fact that while he will still have to face problems as they arise, he now feels adequate to cope with them. Each stage level is described, complete with characteristic perceptions and feelings with psychological explanations, a description of definitive overt behavior, and illustrative client comments. (Author/HMV)

Written for a variety of audiences, this volume describes the University of Western Ontario Preschool Project in sufficient detail to permit its replication; findings of formative and summative program evaluations are reported along with research developing new criterion measures of social competence. Begun in 1973, the program was primarily designed to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged preschool-age children in Canada. For comparative purposes, high income/high ability and low income/average ability groups attended the preschool. The children were tested for growth on intellectual and cognitive abilities, problem-solving styles and strategies, and social competence. Findings revealed that all three ability groups made significant gains over time on all measures. Chapter 1 of the present volume provides background information about intervention and research programs. Chapters 2 through 5 provide curriculum materials in the areas of number, classification, and spatial relations. Chapter 6 describes program modifications and special studies conducted in the third and fourth project years. Chapter 7 describes the development of a measure of social competence. Chapters 8 through 11 describe methods and discuss results of the summative evaluation of immediate and long term program impacts. Chapter 12 presents a summary and conclusions. Completing the document is an epilogue viewing the project and related issues from an updated (1983) perspective and exploring implications for social policy. (RH)