Maintains that there soon will be a rush to review recent state and national efforts to establish curriculum standards. Describes three nightmares and three possibilities for substantive change. Discusses the role of the National Council for the Social Studies in the standards development movement. (CFR)

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) is the standard-setting body for establishing generally accepted accounting principles for school systems and all state and local governments. A brief summary of a statement prepared by GASB's staff outlines the proposed changes in school accounting and financial reporting. (MLF)

Asserts that efforts to achieve educational reform can have significant personal and professional effects on participants in the process. Presents "Ten Verities" as a perspective on the tremendous investment that participation in the reform process requires. Concludes that, the end product of world class geography standards will justify…

Teachers of mathematics are leading a nationwide effort to bring about a complete redesign of both school and college mathematics programs by setting new and more demanding standards for what students must learn about mathematics, as well as for what teachers themselves must accomplish as professionals in the classroom. This brief document is…

The most important issue in education today is helping students reach high standards. These standards are changing American education from a system driven by inputs and regulations to one judged by results. This manual is intended for use with any set of standards. Followed step by step, it will take the teacher from the abstract statements of the…

The purpose of this guide is to provide state and local Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program administrators with an approach to developing meaningful and relevant negotiated performance standards that will serve as a management and evaluation tool. The guide is organized in four chapters. Chapter I provides background information on the…

This outline of standards is designed for administrators and committees concerned with libraries for religious congregations. The standards were developed based on the understanding that the church or synagogue library is a special library that serves the institution in which it is housed and which is supplemental to other libraries in the area,…

A discussion of the National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) pass-fail grading for Part I and Part II examinations gives background on procedures previously used for setting criterion-based grading standards, gives an overview of research on standard-setting, and outlines NBME plans for determining new standards and incorporating improvements.…

One of the objectives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is to promote standardization in the field of information handling, both in development of guidelines and standards and in the use and application of existing norms and standards. This teaching package on the standardization of information…

Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994 provides funds for schools with large concentrations of children from low-income families. A fundamental requirement is that children served by Title I funds must be educated according to the same academic standards as all other students. This handbook focuses on methods for developing…

This document, a companion to the "LAS Guide Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment Systems," [ED484135] presents results that are intended to provide Maine's school administrative units with an option for selecting sample performance indicators to be assessed through the Local Assessment System to meet the…

Nearly every state has adopted or is in the process of adopting content and performance standards for education. This guide summarizes some of the lessons learned in developing standards. It also provides tips and strategies from early leaders in standards development to help educators and policymakers who are working on new forms of assessment.…

This instructional training package introduces practitioners to methods for developing, validating, using, and reporting criterion-referenced tests. It provides a comprehensive presentation of criterion-referenced testing technology. The package emphasizes the most recent substantive and technological advances in the field that are both important…

This book brings together the combined wisdom of a diverse group of experts involved with early childhood mathematics. The book originates from the landmark 2000 Conference on Standards for Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Mathematics Education, attended by representatives from almost every state developing standards for young children's…

The 1992 achievement tests for the Alberta (Canada) public schools show what students in grades 3, 6, and 9 can do in social studies, language arts, and mathematics, respectively. Results are reported in terms of curriculum standards, achievement standards, and assessment standards. In June 1992, there were 41,696 students in grade 3, 37,837 in…