Texas Assessment of Basic Skills tests are criterion-referenced measures administered to students in grades 3, 5, and 9. Written compositions are part of the test battery and are scored holistically. The Texas approach to measuring written composition consists of elements including magnitude, scoring system, and effect on instruction. (DWH)

The purpose of this guide is to increase the understanding of the rationale and benefits of States and Tribes working together to provide quality child care choices and services for the children and families they serve. The guide provides a description of Tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship; an overview of the…

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provides funds to states to expand health insurance coverage for low-income children who are uninsured. States have a great deal of flexibility to design and implement SCHIP, resulting in considerable diversity across states. Enrollment reached 3.4 million in federal fiscal year 2000 and…

This document addresses a study that aimed to better understand the historical development of British Columbia community college, university college, and institute system with special attention given to recent changes in inter-institutional collaboration in relation to provincial coordination. The study also addresses centralization and…

In 2002, Florida voters placed on the ballot through petition and passed a state constitutional amendment mandating universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds beginning in 2005; it was the nation's first voter-initiated, mandated UPK. This case study examines Florida's successful UPK campaign. The report highlights the leadership of David…

This report describes ongoing efforts of the Maine Department of Education to encourage high school improvement through state-level actions. Three intertwined strategies have added value to the individual schools' improvement efforts, including: (1) the drafting of a statewide reform framework called Promising Futures; (2) the creation of a new…

In an effort to provide uninsured children with health care, California and states across the nation have focused on locating uninsured children and enrolling them in Medicaid and their state children's health insurance program. This report provides a comprehensive examination of California's efforts and offers strategies for keeping children…

As the need for providing youth with positive, constructive, and supervised after-school opportunities is increasingly recognized, advocates and policymakers face the challenge of funding quality, affordable, accessible youth development programs that meet the needs of working families and enrich learning and social development for youth.…

This policy brief addresses the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs) in large-scale assessments and ELL assessment accommodations. The inclusion of ELL students creates specific accountability policy challenges. States differ in the students they include and their inclusion policies and accommodation practices, and, at present, inclusion…

This report provides information on the degree to which states in the area served by the Southern Region Education Board (SREB) support independent colleges and universities. Most SREB states support independent institutions through student grants that may or may not be based on the student's financial need. In the year of the report, 11 SREB…

In the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is administered to all third grade students each year. The ITBS, which is one of the assessments used as a screening tool for the Academically Gifted Program, was given to approximately 7,700 third graders in 2000. The ITBS can be given as a…

In 2000, a multi-agency plan was developed for the vocational education of youth in juvenile commitment facilities. Part 1 of the plan describes the Plan Narrative, which provides contextual information and describes events leading up to the development of the plan, the rationale for creating the plan, and the characteristics of vocational…

The results in this report, from the fifth administration of the grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 reading, mathematics, and writing portions of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP), represent an important step in Delawares efforts to educate all students to a higher level. Reading, mathematics, and writing data for grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 are…

This report represents phase two in the development of Missouri's telecommunications-based delivery system for postsecondary education. The 1996 report challenged the state's public and independent colleges and universities to use inter-institutional partnering and emerging telecommunications technologies to improve citizens' access to education.…

The 1996 Legislature directed the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (HESO), in cooperation with the Library Planning Task Force to, "create a plan and process to develop a statewide on-line information system for libraries"; this memo with attached information was submitted in fulfillment of that request. The name chosen for the…