This study assessed student growth on integrated science process skills after being taught a 20-36 hour science unit. The prototypical unit, Acid, Acid Everywhere, was implemented in 15 school districts across seven states. Although seven science units for high ability learners have been developed through a federally funded project, the student outcome results only from Acid, Acid Everywhere, the most widely replicated unit, are reported here. All units were based on the Integrated Curriculum Model (ICM) developed specifically for gifted learners; the model stresses advanced content, high level process and product, and a concept dimension. Results indicate small, but significant, gains for students in integrated science process skills when compared to equally able students not using the units. Implementation data reflected satisfaction of teachers with the units, especially in terms of student interest and motivation. The effectiveness of this curriculum, designed to align with the new science standards and to be appropriate for gifted students, lends credibility to the argument for using the new content standards as a basis for curriculum development efforts with gifted learners.
Although a considerable body of literature supports the benefits of ongoing family-school partnerships, some research indi cates that such partnerships tend to decline as children progress from the lower through middle school grade levels. It remains unknown, however, whether this trend continues through upper grade levels. This study clarifies the relationships between schools and families across lower, middle and upper grades by contrasting the responses of over 400 teachers to a survey regarding their attitudes towards, involvement in, and perceptions of partnership practices at their schools. Results indicated that while teachers value family involvement in schools, middle and upper grade level teachers used fewer strategies to help families become or stay involved in their child's schooling than do lower grade level teachers. Additionally, upper grade level teachers report less involvement in family-school collaborations than did middle grade level teachers. The results are discussed within the framework of a causal model (Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 1995), and implications for school psychology practice and further research are presented.
Low achieving students in grades 4–6 were given supplementary microcomputer assisted instruction in reading and mathematics. Students' performance was assessed with a pretest/posttest nonequivalent control group design using standardized achievement and affective tests. Although all microcomputer experimental groups showed statistically significant pretest/posttest gains in reading and mathematics, the control groups using conventional instructional methods also showed similar gains. Analysis of covariance of achievement gains revealed only one experimental group, sixth grade reading, to be statistically superior to the control groups' performance. No significant changes in students' attitudes toward schooling or sense of control over their own performance were detected. Implications of this study's design and findings are discussed with respect to past CAI research and present CAI school practices.
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