This study analyzed the special education program evaluation practices of 49 states and the District of Columbia based on states' required reporting under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and on state plans. Comparison of the results with those from a 1984 study suggests the following trends: (1) an increase in the number…

The Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education (University of Northern Iowa) focuses efforts on improving early childhood education (birth through 8 years) in Iowa by supporting educational efforts that emphasize children's interests, experimentation, and cooperation. In recent years, educational reform initiatives have targeted programs…

The relationship between selected contextual and socioeconomic variables and school-level results from a statewide performance-based student assessment system was studied using the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). KIRIS uses portfolios of student work, scores from on-demand assessments, and student performance on…

Since the creation of the National Cooperative Educational Statistics System in 1988, states have joined with the National Center for Education Statistics to produce and maintain comparable and uniform education statistics. Through the National Forum on Education Statistics, states have met to develop and propose a set of basic data elements for…

This document provides an overview of the status of public education in Utah for the year 1992-1993. Chapter 1 provides a general description of the state structures that organize and control public education and identifies significant trends and developments that will affect these structures. Chapter 2 describes Utah's demographic characteristics…

For a national program assessing college graduates to succeed, it must be institutionalized at the majority of colleges and universities in the nation. The information generated must play a clear and key role in formulating state and institutional higher education policy, college matriculation standards, and degree-granting decisions. Such an…

The use of classroom assessments in the context of the new assessment system for California schools, the California Learning Assessment System, is discussed by describing the California Learning Record (CLR). The CLR emphasizes the central role of teachers in equitable assessment of student learning for students of diverse cultural and ethnic…

This report discusses findings from a study that examined the inclusiveness of state standards for students with disabilities. Specifically, the study investigated the extent to which individuals who know students with disabilities were involved in the development process, the extent to which students with disabilities were identified as being a…

This report discusses the findings of a study that examined the participation and performance of students with disabilities in the 1996 Minnesota Basic Standards Tests in reading and mathematics. Results indicated that approximately 70 percent of Minnesota's 8th grade students with disabilities participated in the Basic Standards Tests during the…

This report reviews the Exceptional Student Education Programs administered by the Florida Department of Education. Findings of the review indicate: (1) during the 1995-96 school year, Florida spent 1.75 billion for special programs, services, and facilities to serve 368,710 students with disabilities; (2) the number and percentage of children…

Traditional standardized tests of basic skills are no longer considered meaningful by many leading authorities in educational measurement. Alternative approaches are not yet fully developed, although many efforts are being made. This paper explores the issues surrounding student assessment in the context of existing and evolving state practices,…

The relationships among factors reported on a set of report cards developed for local school districts in Tennessee were studied. The analysis offers information about how selected factors relate to student outcome. Each year, Tennessee's State Board of Education produces a report card on each school district using data provided by the district…

Shortcomings in the current student assessment program in Georgia are identified, proposed revisions are described, and additional changes are recommended. Georgia educators have complained that curricula place too much emphasis on basic skills, to the detriment of subjects like science and social studies. Reform legislation in Georgia has…

This report presents the results of the third national survey of state activities in the assessment of educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The report does not contain actual outcomes data on students with disabilities. Twenty-three tables present data on: number of students in general education and special education in each state;…

This study continues prior efforts that were reported by the same authors to examine teacher perceptions of teacher assessment programs for a fourth year, one year after the initial statewide implementation and subsequent suspension by the state legislature, of the teacher assessment and evaluation program in Louisiana. The state initiated,…