The "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. ESSA reauthorizes the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" (ESEA), which was first enacted as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." Since 1965, ESEA has represented the federal government's…

The Race to the Top Reform Support Network (RSN) designed this toolkit to help States and school districts implement student learning objectives (SLOs) with the highest degree of quality. The toolkit contains templates, guidance documents, sample SLOs and other tools, which States and school districts can select or adapt for their own purposes as…

This results improvement resource guide includes a listing of TA&D programs and centers that provide technical assistance related to academic achievement results improvement for students with disabilities. The website URL, target audience(s), and purpose are provided for each center/program. In addition, a brief example describing the…

Some states are developing alternate assessments based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) to measure the academic achievement of some students with disabilities (Albus, Lazarus, Thurlow, & Cormier, 2009; Lazarus, Thurlow, Christensen, & Cormier, 2007). These assessments measure the same content as the general assessment for a given…

This report, the fifth annual report on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP), provides policymakers, educators, parents, and the community with a general accounting and precise overview of the performance of Colorado's third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth grade students relative to the Colorado State Model…

The guide discusses conducting a needs assessment of Title IV Indian Education Act projects. Materials to be used in a workshop presentation are provided, i.e., a chart depicting project design built on accurate needs; a list of eight steps on how to conduct a needs assessment; a list of seven steps to needs assessment (whom, what, how, etc.);…

This handbook provides guidelines for the evaluation of compensatory and bilingual education programs in New Jersey. Each local education agency (LEA) is required to complete an annual evaluation of previous year program information for basic skills programs funded totally or in part by state and federal resources. Bilingual and…

In 1991, the Kansas Association of School Boards began a program called Quest for Quality. The program is based on the belief that public schools must adjust to changes in children, families, communities, and economic and political conditions in the nation and the world. Quest for Quality also reaffirms the American school system's responsiveness…

Audiences were surveyed at the federal, state, and local levels in an effort to determine how the National Assessment of Educational Progress could be made more useful in meeting their needs. Recommendations fell into several major categories: (1) increased dissemination of assessment materials and access to data; (2) increased data interpretation…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) item development procedures, possible improvements or alternatives to these procedures, and methods used to control potential sources of errors of interpretation are described. Current procedures call for the assessment of 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds in subject areas typically taught in schools.…

The U.S. Department of Education awarded 19 Challenge Grants for Technology in Education in fiscal year 1995, and planned to award additional grants in fiscal year 1996. The diverse projects are intended to mobilize resources, develop technology enabled learning environments, and provide lessons to others seeking to make effective use of…

The purpose of this booklet is to introduce parents of students with disabilities to the "big ideas" contained in school improvement efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and to provide them with the information they need to help ensure that their children…

Project Even Start is an intergenerational literacy project that promotes adult literacy, trains parents to support the educational growth of their children, and prepares children for school. The program is designed to facilitate joint participation by parents and children. It includes home-based instruction and child care, and it is integrated…

Designed for use in programs implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) of 1976, this guide includes guidelines and models for conducting the evaluation, research, and demonstration efforts that local youth staff are expected to carry on in their own local YEDPA programs. The evaluation, research,…