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In summer 2002, a telephone survey was conducted to learn about Northern Illinois University (NIU) alumni who had been admitted through the CHANCE program at some point in its 34-year history. The completed survey included responses from more than 500 alumni representing students admitted from 1968 through 2001. The alumni were overwhelmingly positive in their answers. Nearly all said that the program offered an opportunity to go to college that they did not feel they had before. Respondents found attending NIU to be a very positive experience and thought that the university provided them with a quality educational experience in a diverse environment. The vast majority (94%) said they would and had recommended CHANCE to others. The majority of these alumni work in Business and Education, but there is a wide range of employment and responsibility among the participants. Findings show that the CHANCE program has been an outstanding success in the eyes of the participants. Seven appendixes contain data tables. (Contains 11 tables and 3 figures.) (SLD)

Research identified a literacy assessment program applicable to the adult population functioning at pre-General Education Development (GED) test levels. An attempt to align the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) with the Illinois State Board of Education Learning Standards failed. ACT Work Keys emerged as the recommended and most effective assessment tool for the pre-GED population. (ACT was formerly American College Testing.) Work Keys, a criterion-referenced testing system, assessed and acknowledged learner strengths in a portfolio-type report that employers easily understood. Levels of achievement were identified, but articulation of specific skills was the strength of this program. Work Keys consisted of multiple components: assessment, job profiling, instructional support, and reporting. Service centers--six in Illinois--provided for distribution of assessment instruments and timely scoring of tests. A fundamental element was provision for an assessment of literacy skills and a developmental program for the attainment of a sustainable wage. ACT determined a literacy level using Work Keys that denoted the minimal level of competency required for functioning in the workplace. The study recommended a first level of certification for individuals who achieve this level in the core literacy areas. A second level of skill documentation could reflect the local job market. (Attachments, amounting to one-half of the report, include materials on Work Keys, such as the process, sample report, and costs.) (YLB)

For assessments that present problems that require extended responses and substantial amounts of time, there is often a desire to allow students to choose which problem they will respond to among two or more options. Student choice of problem may allow students a better opportunity to demonstrate what they know and are able to do. On the other hand, choice raises questions about the comparability of scores obtained by students who respond to different problems. Questions of comparability and validity of scores obtained when students are given a choice among alternative problems were investigated using data for approximately 30,000 students from the Oregon State Assessment Program for Grade 10 Mathematics Assessment administered in spring 1997. The assessment consisted of a multiple-choice section and a pair of extended-response problems. On each of six alternate forms, two problems were presented, and students were instructed to choose one. Data from the six forms were analyzed to evaluate the comparability of scores obtained from responses to different tasks and the validity of the results. It was found that problems differed in popularity, and that the scores students obtained differed systematically as a function of problem choice. On the other hand, confirmatory factor analysis results across forms for students choosing different problems suggest that there was similar validity for measuring the underlying constructs across problem choice. It is concluded that while choice may be justified, some form of equating adjustments would be needed before making high-stakes decisions based on performance of students on problems where choice is allowed. (Contains 23 tables, 2 figures, and 9 references.) (Author/SLD)

The Working Poor Project is a joint activity of the Chicago Urban League, the Latino Institute, and Northern Illinois University. Its purpose is to study the nature, extent, and impact of working poverty in seven counties in the Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. Phase I of this project developed a statistical profile of the area's working poor and a policy paper designed to facilitate discussion about the issue of working poverty. Phase II consists of four reports that further examine the nature of working poverty in Chicago. This report is the third in the series, all of which are based on the 1990 Census. The working poor are defined as those families that earned less than 150% of the Federal poverty level. The major finding of this project is that one can work full-time, and even work full time throughout the year, and still be poor. Most of the working poor have incomes lower than the Federal poverty level. One of every three persons who are working poor holds a full-time, full-year job. Differences by race and ethnicity are found among the working poor. While 22.3% of Latino families in the Chicago area are working poor, 15.8% of African American and 10.5% of Asian American families are working poor. For all groups, the service occupations are the largest employer of the working poor. African American and Latino adults in working poor families have strikingly low levels of formal education, and among Latino and Asian American working poor families, English proficiency is a notable characteristic. In Chicago, it is apparent, full-time employment is no guarantee against poverty. (Contains one figure and seven tables.) (SLD)

A study assessed the success of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs by examining current approaches, featuring operational and experimentally based measures, all using the individual as the unit observation. The research used Program Year 1990 JTPA termination and associated program participation records in Illinois and Texas. Two principal measures of success were used: 155% of poverty (application of a factor of 1.55 to federally defined poverty income levels) and strict-steady employment (continuous employment, potentially with several employers). Participation patterns reflected the national policy shift toward more intensive longer-term services. The share of terminees continuously employed increased from 25 to 28 percent in Illinois from the first to the second postprogram year, but was roughly constant in Texas at about 35 percent; earnings success rates rose in both states. Longer-term program success rates were consistently higher for males, adults, whites, those with greater educational attainment, and those receiving no public assistance at enrollment. Two variables had the most pronounced and statistically significant effects on rates of success: prior work and earnings and securing a full-time job at termination from JTPA. Field interviews indicated that constrained choice and empowered counselors were associated with successful programs. (Appendixes include data tables and detailed regressions results for Illinois and Texas; and additional results for Texas adjusted for family status and size. Contains 49 references. (YLB)

A study examined teachers' reading habits and attitudes. Subjects, 204 educators who were enrolled in classes or a for-credit reading workshop in the northern Illinois area, completed a 32-item survey to determine their reading habits. Respondents were primarily elementary teachers who had earned at least a bachelor's degree and who had six or fewer years of experience in their current position. Results indicated that: (1) over half read at least three journal articles a month and two professional books each year; (2) at least three-fourths read the newspaper daily, one magazine that was not a professional journal, and one book for pleasure reading monthly; however, (3) only half of the respondents reported that administrators where they worked shared research and other professional writing at meetings; (4) only about 40% of the respondents felt that their colleagues frequently referred to ideas and research from professional readings; and (5) respondents felt they did not have enough time for personal or professional reading on the job or at home. Findings suggest that many educators are serving as powerful role-models for life-long literacy; however, ideas that may be helpful in the way educators perceive themselves as readers include: set aside specific time to read and discuss with colleagues; and keep current with professional reading. Administrators should also realize that sharing current professional literature is a cost-cutting means of inservice education. Contains 13 references. (RS)

A study examined the concurrent development of reading and writing behaviors in a cross section of preschool and kindergarten children across diverse language and literacy tasks. Subjects, 16 preschool children attending a university laboratory school and 12 kindergarten children from two classrooms in a large suburban school district, were presented with an array of formal and informal language and literacy tasks, including two standardized tests, a previously developed research instrument concerning invented spelling, and two informal tasks. Results indicated several statistically significant relationships between performances on the literacy and language tasks, but the pattern of relatedness was more unified with the kindergarten group and more varied with the preschool group. Findings suggest that even very young children exhibit considerable variety across tasks and from one child to another. (Contains 23 references and 2 data tables.) (RS)

This report uses figures from the 1990 Census to present a detailed and comprehensive picture of the changes that occurred in the economic standing of women and minorities during the 1970s and 1980s in the six-county Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. The terms African American, Asian American, Latino, and White are used to describe the city's major racial/ethnic groups. During this period, the large economic disparities between the Chicago area's African American and Latino populations and its Whites remained basically unchanged or actually widened as measured by family income, poverty, children in poverty, labor force participation, unemployment, high school completion (figure 8, pages 22-23), and college completion (figure 9, pages 24-25). Minority populations in the suburbs generally retained their higher economic status relative to their counterparts in the city. The large economic disparities between female-headed households and all other households also remained largely unchanged over these years. Female-headed households continued to experience much higher rates of poverty than other households. Appendixes contain a table of data for the metropolitan area and definitions of the population groups and economic indicators. (Contains 12 figures.) (SLD)

This paper analyzes the effects of ability grouping on middle school math and science achievement, attempting to account for these effects in terms of measurable classroom experiences of students. It is hypothesized that grouping effects operate through classroom instructional differences. Data collected from a national sample of public school students and teachers reveal large effects of group placement on 8th-to-9th grade achievement growth, and substantial track differences appear for several instructional variables. Adding the instructional variables to the achievement models shows that 75 percent of the high-ability group effect on science achievement, but only 17 to 33 percent of the mathematics track effects are accounted for by the instructional variables. The largest instructional effects on mathematics achievement are associated with emphases on problem solving and understanding principles (as opposed to computational mechanics), the pacing of the course, and the use of lectures to present the material. The largest effects on science achievement are found for measures of "inquiry-based" instruction, the use of lectures and small-group projects, and student assessments of the accessibility of the subject matter. (Author)

This paper addresses issues in the definition of traditionally underserved persons who are deaf. It notes that these people have traditionally been labeled as low functioning, low achieving, multiply handicapped, minimal language skilled, and disadvantaged. A new definition, developed by the Northern Illinois University Research and Training Center on Traditionally Underserved Persons Who Are Deaf, emphasizes placing responsibility for the less-than-optimum functioning on the service delivery system rather than on the individual. Definition development involved identifying characteristics of the population and analyzing responses to a survey of 810 deaf educators and deafness rehabilitation counselors. Respondents ranked the following critical characteristics for defining this population: (1) communication skills, (2) independent living skills, (3) social skills, (4) vocational skills, and (5) academic achievement. A rating scale utilizing these factors was developed and is included. (DB)

A preliminary study sought to determine whether preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade children's analyses of English words were governed by perception of onsets and rimes or by perception of phonemes within onsets and rimes. Data were from several previous studies that used a 10-word invented spelling task. High percentages of the 135 preschool, kindergarten, and first grade inventive spellers with all lengths of words produced spellings that were considered unlikely if governed by attention to onsets and rimes rather than by attention to individual phonemes. The percentage of first graders who spelled consonant blends (78%) matches findings of an earlier study. Findings support a child-centered approach to early reading instruction. If children do not treat phonemes as more difficult than onsets and rimes and are willing to work at the task of analyzing complex onsets and rimes, then it makes sense to use teaching strategies that encourage children's discovery of their own tasks. (Four tables and one figure of data are included.) (Contains 22 references.) (Author/RS)

A study extended two earlier studies and collected additional information from educators regarding their perceptions about the use of portfolios to assess literacy development. Subjects, 140 elementary teachers, secondary teachers, administrators, and English-as-a-Second-Language teachers who participated in a week-long literacy workshop in the summer of 1992, completed a modified form of a questionnaire given in each of the previous 2 years to workshop participants. Results indicated that: (1) there is a growing use of portfolios; (2) educators, both with or without portfolio experience, agreed overwhelmingly that portfolios should be used for instructional decision making across grade levels for language arts; (3) practical problems appeared to be diminishing as more professionals put portfolios into actual classroom use; and (4) artifacts for inclusion show a common trend across the three studies, with student writing samples by far the most common choice. (Three tables of data are included.) (RS)

This paper begins with an overview of the population of adolescents and young adults with deafness. More detailed information is then provided on the characteristics of lower achieving deaf persons and those with multiple disabling conditions. School-to-community transition experiences of these groups are then discussed, with special focus on the findings of a project which gathered data on lower achieving and multiply disabled individuals with hearing loss from northwestern U.S. Relevant assessment instruments are reviewed, including the Transition Competence Battery and the rating scales from the National Independent Living Skills Project. Two promising curriculum approaches are described--job clubs and social problem solving skills. Two programs recognizing the need for extended services are also described--Lexington Center's Community Based Vocational Rehabilitation Consortium in New York City and Oregon's Connections Program. The paper concludes by highlighting critical areas for further research and development. Two tables present lists of employment skills and independent living skills. (Contains over 150 references.) (JDD)

The widespread use of standardized tests and the high stakes decisions made because of their scores are facts that cannot be ignored. It can be argued, therefore, that assessment literacy should be included in the training of teachers and administrators. To determine the extent of selected assessment knowledge among preservice and inservice teachers a survey of test-taking considerations, test-administration procedures, and test-wiseness strategies was sent to 130 preservice and 119 inservice teachers who were enrolled in coursework at a large midwestern university. One-third of the preservice and 10 percent of the inservice teachers had not taken any tests and measurements courses. Results suggest that both groups could benefit from additional knowledge about standardized test administration, preparation of students to take tests, and making informed decisions about test scores. Assessment literacy could be improved in courses that emphasize: (1) differences between standardized and teacher-made tests; (2) the importance of following administration procedures to ensure score validity; (3) general test-wiseness skills that may be taught to improve general testing performance; and (4) unethical practices including instruction in specific test content, using actual items from the test. At least one tests and measurements course is recommended in order to complete the teacher education program. (LL)

A study compared results of a 1990 survey of educators to determine growth in knowledge and use of portfolio assessment. The study aimed to report the reactions and feelings of educators who use or may plan portfolios. A total of 173 educators from Illinois enrolled in a literacy workshop sponsored by a midwestern reading association answered a questionnaire that asked them to rank on a 5-point scale their familiarity with portfolios in 4 areas: knowledge, content, theoretical bases, and practical problems related to using portfolios. Results indicated that: (1) familiarity with the concept of portfolio assessment has grown; (2) respondents in both surveys, 1990 and 1991, agreed with S. Valencia's four guiding principles of assessment: authentic, continuous, multidimensional, and collaborative; (3) educators preferred that students include in their portfolios written tasks such as a list of materials read, writing samples related to the literacy experiences, and student self-evaluations; and (4) planning, managing and organizing were the major practical concerns. (Two tables of data are included.) (PRA)

A study was conducted to address the ethical issues inherent in the teaching of test-taking and test-wiseness skills. A survey, consisting of 11 items was developed and given to 62 preservice and 133 inservice teachers. Questions were classified into 3 categories: (1) general test-taking considerations; (2) standardized test-taking procedures; and (3) test-wiseness. The general pattern of responses for inservice and preservice teachers was similar for both general test-taking considerations and some aspects of teaching test-wiseness. The two groups did not agree with the general literature on standardized test-taking procedures nor with appropriate, ethical aspects of test-wiseness programs. Implications are that both preservice and inservice teachers could profit from more knowledge about standardized test administration procedures. It is recommended that preservice reading methods courses, diagnostic reading courses, and other courses where standardized tests are considered give ample attention to the importance of following standardized test administration procedures. Inservice teachers need to review the standardization procedures given in test manuals; and both groups need a better understanding of the differences between test-taking strategies and teaching to the test. (LL)

A project studied use of state unemployment insurance (UI) wage-record data for Program Year 1986 to assess the effectiveness of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. Eleven of 27 interested states were selected by ability to meet data requirements. These issues associated with the use of UI data as an assessment tool were explored: coverage, accuracy, timeliness, and confidentiality. Among the principal advantages of wage record data for program analyses identified were flexibility, capacity to provide longitudinal data, usefulness as a resource for net impact studies, and cost-effectiveness. A database containing longitudinal UI wage-record data and JTPA program data was developed. A comparison of wage-record data with post-program survey data found that on each of three criteria for judging data quality (lack of bias, precision, and consistency), wage record data were superior. An examination of pre- and post-program employment and earnings of JTPA participants indicated increased post-program earnings but declining post-program employment and a delay in increased employment for participants in remedial and basic education. Roles for wage record data were suggested in the context of the JTPA performance standard system: identification of groups of participants with limited employment experience and development of post-program performance measures. (Twenty-three references and 32 tables/figures are included. Appendixes contain data tables and lists of data file elements.) (YLB)

A study investigated what adults think about the nature of changes in reading ability across the life span. Subjects, 121 undergraduate students at two major midwestern universities and 24 non-faculty employees at one of these schools, were asked to list five or more skills which they thought were important for being a good reader at four different ages: age 6 (a first grader); age 10 (a fifth grader); an individual the same age as the subject; and a 70-year-old adult. The skills mentioned by the subjects were coded according to nine categories derived from reading research literature and discussions with several experts in reading research. Results indicated that the adults in the survey understood that there are particular skills which are important for good reading at any age, but that they were less certain of changes in reading skills and behaviors that can occur over the life span. (RS)

A study examined the views of education professionals toward four aspects of portfolio assessment: general knowledge, theoretical bases, contents, and practical problems. Subjects, 128 elementary teachers, secondary teachers, special reading teachers, and administrators attending a June 1990 reading workshop, completed a survey. Results indicated that: (1) there was little general familiarity with the concept of portfolio assessment; (2) most agreed with its theoretical bases (authentic, continuous, multidimensional, and collaborative); (3) paper and pencil tasks were chosen most often for inclusion; and (4) the subjects expressed numerous concerns over implementing portfolio assessment. Findings suggest that steps need to be taken to inform educators that portfolio assessment affords the classroom teacher information for decision-making that is valid and specific. (Two figures of data are included.) (RS)

Based on the Computerized Vocational Information System (CVIS), Project DISCOVER was conceptualized in three parts: Guidance subsystem for direct use by individuals at three age levels (grades 4-6, grades 7-12, and adult) seeking career guidance; the counselor-support subsystem; and the administrator support subsystem. Guidance development and technical development were the two components of the project from July 1, 1974 to August 31, 1975. This report describes the project in two sections, according to its two components. Overall project objectives are contained in the first section (Guidance Development) along with a discussion of accomplishments, major activities and events, problems, and publicity activities. The second section (Technical Development) covers technical aspects of accomplishments, major activities and events, problems, publicity, dissemination, other activities, staff employment and utilization, and staff development. Modules which were developed and input into the computer system are described. Appendixes contain the following materials: Monthly progress reports, advisory board meeting minutes, guidelines for script preparation, field test site selection and evaluation plan, outline of inservice training program for counselors, contracts with publishers, plan for dissemination and maintenance of DISCOVER, budget, suggested division of funds, abstract and newsletter, DISCOVER system flowcharts, data base descriptions, administrative applications, and list of DISCOVER programming support functions. (TA)