Proposed regulations from the joint committee on printing: Patchwork remedies for complex problems

This section presents techniques, practices, and specific strategies by which documents collections can be made more effective. It also highlights individual documents collections and addresses issues pertinent to forthcoming government policies and regulations. The second article in this series presents a brief overview of new printing regulations proposed by the Joint Committee on Printing, U.S. Congress, in November 1983.This opinion essay discusses selected regulations, evaluates their importance, and considers their possible impacts. It also identifies a number of difficulties yet to be resolved by these regulations and suggests that improved access to government information will not result, by itself, from simply creating an additional set of patchwork regulations.     

The influence of selected physical science study committee (PSSC) films on certain learning outcomes in the teaching of high school physics

The study was initiated to determine whether students who saw selected PSSC films, in conjunction with the PSSC high school physics course, differed in their achievement of the subject matter of physics or in their understanding of science from similar students who did not see the films. The criterion tests were the PSSC Achievement Test Series and the Test on Understanding Science (TOUS). A total of 486 students in nine high schools in the eastern Massachusetts area participated in the study. Analysis of covariance was used to determine differences between treatment groups. It was concluded that for the particular group of students involved in the study the use of PSSC films in conjunction with the PSSC course did not influence student scores on the PSSC achievement tests or the Test on Understanding Science.     

Reliability of No Child Left Behind Accountability Designs

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to establish accountability systems that are both valid and reliable. If one follows the language of the law literally, there is no design that will meet both requirements. If one interprets the law more flexibly, it is possible to create such a design. States will need to approach the problem carefully if they are going to appropriately balance the various probabilities of making incorrect decisions about schools.