Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, state teams have been preparing their state plans aligned with ESSA for submission in April or September 2017 to the U.S. Department of Education. Because ESSA lands much of the decision-making and responsibility in education at the state and local levels, state education leaders…

Postsecondary early awareness strategies are a fast-growing component of college access to attainment efforts. Broadly defined, these programs and policies encourage low-income and first-generation students to gain the information, skills, and resources they need to successfully take part in higher education. They focus on students in fifth…

This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

The purpose of this article is to describe the process and development of English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards and assessment in Ohio and to discuss issues related to alignment. The article addresses the importance of alignment among standards, instruction, and assessment, as well as the effect of alignment on students' academic…

Describes Minnesota's responses to the challenges of secondary student achievement and transition to college or employment: "fast-track" planning, tech prep, postsecondary enrollment options, early assessment for developmental education, alignment of graduation standards and college preparation, achievement documentation, and charter…

Policy and program options for economic revitalization in the Southeast region of the United States through educational reform, with a focus on improving the learning experiences of middle-range high school students (30th to 70th percentile on standardized tests), are discussed. The study examined the ways in which state and local school districts…

Thirty-two states now have some form of accountability legislation that requires the reporting of school and school system performance indicators. This study examined the Alabama State Report Card to determine whether its information is sufficient to inform the public, legislature, and the media about the achievement of each school and school…

This report has three objectives: (1) to identify social indicators relating to policy concerns of the legislature, state board of education, and commissioner of education; (2) to predict the future status of selected social indicators, using the assumption that present policies will be continued; and (3) to recommend policy changes for achieving…

Getting assessment results used is no easy task. This paper examines the findings of a recent study on the uses of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and suggests implications for increasing use of state and local assessment results. The NAEP study, conducted at Northwestern University, generated evidence that assessment results…

This training manual is designed to provide information that will help Missouri educators understand and implement new state requirements regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). It addresses the following topics: (1) reasons for including students with disabilities in a state assessment…

Data from the 1990-91 Tennessee school district report cards are used to reexamine some relationships noted in previous studies (G. C. Bobbett and others, 1992) and to gain new insights because of modifications to Tennessee's report cards from 1989 to 1991. Report cards now report the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment results and have added more…

This case study uses six interviews with administrators and three speeches to trace the definition of the term "at risk" in Arizona educational policy, where the definition process was used as an opportunity to enhance the prestige and power of the State Department of Education. (SLD)

Difficulties and rewards in using state assessment policy to benefit both students and the state are reviewed. The questions examined in this guide will help state policy makers know the questions they should ask about whether, what, and how well students are learning. Questions were developed from four seminars in 1989, 1990, and 1991 on…

This report presents findings of the National Academy of Education Panel on the Evaluation of the Trial State Assessment (TSA) concerning the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics TSA program. The Panel's recommendations regarding the continuation of TSAs for review by the Congress, states, and Executive Branch of the…

In compliance with The Master Plan for Higher Education (1985) and Senate Bill 121 (1991), which both establish transfer as a priority for California's colleges and universities, the California Community Colleges (CCC) and the University of California (UC) adopted a collective mission. To provide access and opportunity for students, CCC and UC…