This document was designed to help teachers and other school district personnel plan and teach Algebra I and Algebra II in the junior high and high schools. An overview of the Algebra I and Algebra II courses presents the philosophy of algebra instruction for Texas schools, the expected use of technology in mathematics instruction, teacher…

Describes a pilot program designed to teach algebra to Texas migrant students via audioconferencing. Discussion includes course development, design, and delivery and indicates audioconferencing to be a feasible alternative to on-site instruction, noting high class grade averages and students' increased mathematical ability. Author/AEF)

Describes a study that examined block scheduling's effects on student and teacher performance and attitudes at a large Texas high school. While the 2-hour Algebra I block had a higher failure rate than the traditional 50-minute algebra class, the block classes were comprised of students who have traditionally struggled in mathematics. Maximizing…

Describes a partnership that was formed to develop a fiber optic interactive network and its interface with the development of algebra curriculum and social services in the PATH (Partnership for Access to Higher) Mathematics project in Texas. Equipment connections, costs, and classroom layout are described; and social work components are…

This report presents results from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests administered in the spring of 1997 and results from end of course tests in Algebra and Biology. Only a slight decrease in the percentage passing the eighth-grade social studies test marred the otherwise across-the-board rise in percentages meeting minimum…

This digest is designed to provide information to Texas testing coordinators, other educators, and interested citizens about the development procedures and technical attributes of the state-mandated criterion-referenced assessment program. The chapters are: (1) "Background"; (2) "Test Development"; (3) "Test…

This study assessed the attitudes of three groups that participated in Upward Bound, a newly instituted academic advisory program at Tomball High School in Texas. It also provided a baseline of data to measure students' academic performance. The three groups, 300 high school freshmen, 115 of their parents, and 33 full time faculty, responded to…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments (37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state…

This report describes the status of Texas schools as required by state law. The document contains 6 chapters on the following topics: (1) student performance on state assessments; (2) student dropouts; (3) state performance on the academic excellence indicators; (4) district and campus performance in meeting state accountability standards; (5)…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment which, for the first time in the NAEP's history, made voluntary state-by-state assessments. This 1992 mathematics report marks the first attempt of the National Center for Education Statistics to shift to standards-based reporting of National…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various academic subjects. The 1996 NAEP in mathematics assessed the current level of mathematical achievement as a mechanism for informing education reform. In 1996, 44…

After years of implementing Interactive Math, many California school districts have bowed to parental pressure and returned to a traditional mathematics curriculum. Reforms are catching on in Texas, Ohio, Arkansas, South Carolina, and New Jersey. The white/minority SAT score gap remains wide. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 1990…