The purpose of this document is to highlight "what works" based on the curriculum development and research work of the Center for Gifted Education during the past 20 years. Areas of study include curriculum development, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Through the use of the Integrated Curriculum Model as a template for …

The humanities framework presented in this paper is not intended to be a state prescribed curriculum, course syllabus, or study guide. Instead, the framework discussed in the paper is designed to help local schools develop their own curricula to address their own goals as well as those of the state and the nation. An introductory section of the…

This book describes two high school teachers' efforts to align curriculum, assessment, and performance standards, troubleshooting issues surrounding content standards, instructional objectives, and curricular aims. Eight chapters examine: (1) "What Does a Competent Classroom Look Like?"; (2) "What Drives a Course?" (e.g.,…

This book is intended as a practical guide to implementing a standards-based curriculum, developing performance tasks, teaching to those tasks, and using performance assessments. The chapters are: (1) "Establishing the Foundations"; (2) "Understanding the Achievement Cycle"; (3) "Focusing on Authentic Learning"; (4) "Building on a Standards-Based…

This document summarizes the work of participants in California's Towards Arts Assessment Project (TAAP). The project participants worked on developing guidelines and plans for arts assessments. The document includes the TAAP participants' performance assessments as illustrations and as guidelines for continuing a dialogue in the feasibility and…

This book is intended to be used as a guide to develop a performance-based curriculum based on language arts standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The book helps teachers take their students beyond knowledge and basic skills by teaching them to be accountable for showing…

This book shows educators at all grade levels and in all content areas how to implement a holistic learning program that seamlessly integrates learning styles and multiple intelligences into instruction, curriculum, and assessment. It is designed to assist teachers in helping students become more reflective, self-aware learners. The book includes:…

This article explains how elementary teachers can link performance-based assessments and student self-assessments to the curriculum for improved learning. It provides graphic organizers, rubrics, and examples of student writings, and discusses ways to connect assessment and instruction, benefits for students (feedback and instruction), and…

This book explains a systematic approach to curriculum, assessment, instruction, and learning called the achievement cycle. The first chapter defines the term and its related concepts, provides the background knowledge for using the achievement cycle in the school system or classroom, and presents an overview of the rest of the book. The…

This book examines the current trends in K-12 curriculum and instruction. It shows how the trends interrelate and provides a higher order, comprehensive model for curriculum reform. The model is based on critical, content-based concepts. Chapter 1 describes the complexity of the change process and illustrates dilemmas encountered in school-based…

The essays in this collection consider the meaning of authentic assessment and the implications of its use. "Section 1: Assessing Assessment" includes the following essays: (1) "The Nation's Report Card Goes Home: Good News and Bad about Trends in Achievement" (Robert L. Linn and Stephen B. Dunbar); (2) "Budgets, Politics, and Testing" (Chris…

This guide provides assistance to state and local vocational-technical educators in the development of curriculum that is based on national and state skill standards that use workplace-derived measures of competent performance to prepare students for the work world. The guide begins with guidelines for determining the usefulness of existing…

This article urges educators of the gifted and talented to become knowledgeable about educational reform efforts at the local, state, and national levels. Specific initiatives pertinent to gifted education include ungraded primary schools; performance-based assessment of student progress; use of student portfolios; and rigorous, revamped…

Making a case for the value of literature-based instruction, this book presents an overview of the extensive knowledge base supporting literature-based approaches to literacy instruction. It notes that literature-based instruction goes beyond simply changing the kinds of texts children read--also required in literature-based instruction are an…

This book is designed to help educators consider how assessment relates to instruction and recognize how assessment affects student learning. It intends to encourage teachers to establish a climate in which students can safely seek and use assessment information. A basic assumption is that learning occurs best in a positive setting, one that…