Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

This circular outlines the inclusion policy of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Inclusion is defined as a combination of long-standing "least restrictive environment" policies, with an emphasis on active social membership in the class or community, but not representing a legal requirement that every child be educated in the same…

This guide contains 55 articles written by adult basic education (ABE) practitioners in Pennsylvania suggesting ways to improve teaching and program administration in the field. The guide is organized into four parts: (1) working together for program improvement, (2) teaching and learning, (3) developing as a professional and (4) appendixes (high…

This document contains materials directly related to the actual reading test of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), including the reading rubric, released passages, selected-response questions with answer keys, performance tasks, and scored samples of students' responses to the tasks. All of these items may be duplicated to…

This document is a comprehensive directory of Federal offices, programs, and facilities for K-12 education in mathematics and science for the Mid-Atlantic Region. The purpose of this directory is to assist educators, parents, and students in attaining the National Education Goals, particularly Goal 4: "By the year 2000, U.S. students will be…

Pennsylvania's school districts and area vocational-technical schools are required to submit long range plans to the Pennsylvania Department of Education every 5 years. These plans are intended to direct resources toward improvement of educational programs and services, school management, and student achievement. The planning process is to include…

This booklet contains 10 success stories of Pennsylvania men and women who discovered adult education programs that gave them the tools to create a new life for themselves and their families. Their stories affirm the ability of each adult to use education to overcome great difficulties. Some overcame physical and learning disabilities. Some…

This document is Pennsylvania's master plan for environmental education (EE). It includes: (1) a list of planning principles and guidelines to enhance implementation of the master plan; (2) a flow chart illustrating feasibility, planning, action, and impact phases for the years 1983-85; (3) a summary of major recommendations; (4) a chart…

Partnerships in education often begin as a way to stretch resources, but then become harmonious, growing relationships. This brochure describes Pennsylvania's Partnerships in Education program, an outgrowth of earlier "adopt-a-school" efforts and a component of Governor Dick Thornburgh's comprehensive reform package. Students benefit by…

A project was conducted to develop the methods, procedures, standards, and processes to enable adult basic and literacy education programs funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) to submit their student and staff data via computer disk. During the project, the Center for…

This manual is designed to provide information to interlibrary loan (ILL) practitioners about the philosophy behind interlibrary loan, as well as a functional knowledge of its routines. The first part of the manual presents general and background material about interlibrary loans. Included in this section are a glossary of library terms, the…

This instrument is designed to help school administrators assess the level of implementation of the essential elements of the Instructional Support Teams (IST) process in Pennsylvania. The instrument is a rating sheet, or checklist, on which the presence and absence of components of the IST process are noted. The number of features in place is…

The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is an intensive building-based pre-referral intervention program using teams of teachers and other school professionals to assist elementary students experiencing difficulty in the classroom. This trainer's manual presents a model workshop for training principals. The workshop's goals are to: (1)…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA mathematics assessment. Following an overview of the PSSA, the second chapter focuses on the development and scoring of the mathematics assessment. Administering the assessment…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA writing assessment, which was designed to measure individual student performance and to influence instruction. The guide contains a chart of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards…