Many technical, test design, and implementation questions are involved in designing new statewide assessments. These are all critical, shaping often underexamined aspects of testing: student test experience and families' perceptions of testing in this new structure. Although the state outreach to students and families is needed generally, it is…

This report is intended to help parents understand the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) and the reports generated by the testing program. In spring 1998, the Department of Education, in conjunction with Harcourt Educational Measurement, began its annual administration of the DSTP reading, writing, and mathematics tests for students in…

This guide is intended to help parents understand the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) and the reports it generates. The DSTP tests are administered to provide an accurate measure of how well students are doing relative to Delaware's rigorous content standards. DSTP tests are administered in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and…

Aimed at both policy makers and service providers, this report assesses services and policies regarding adolescent parents and pregnant adolescents and recommends a number of additions and changes. The first chapter examines the services already offered to pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents, including counseling, family planning,…

This report is intended to help parents understand the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) and the reports it generates. The tests of the DSTP are tied to the Delaware content standards that define the knowledge and skills required for students to succeed beyond high school. In spring 2001, the DSTP reading, writing, and mathematics tests were…

The packet is designed to aid State Directors of Special Education in the Southwest Region in the development, initiation, implementation, or refinement of procedural safeguards for parents and children, with a specific focus on communication between parents of special needs children and state or local education agencies. A matrix outlines…

In question-and-answer form, this pamphlet describes the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). The CSAP tests are designed to measure student achievement in relation to the Colorado Model Content Standards. Every student enrolled in the grades tested is expected to take the appropriate CSAP. The CSAP tests are developed collaboratively by…

Clear communication with parents about educational reform issues and the implementation of standards is essential. This publication presents ideas for state leaders on how better to inform parents about statewide assessments and how to report the results of these assessments to parents so that the results are more meaningful. The first section…

The new Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) was developed to provide a measurement of how well students and schools are meeting Colorado's academic content standards. The CSAP tests are not norm-referenced showing how much a student has learned in comparison with other students. Instead, they are based on the state's content standards.…

This booklet outlines the principles of a New Compact for Learning between families, communities, and schools in New York. Its main ideas are that: (1) all children can learn and contribute to their families and communities; (2) parents, teachers, and other community members must work together to help children learn; (3) a society must demand the…

The Arizona superintendent of instruction established five statewide committees of thirty persons each to identify and prioritize the educational needs of the state. Each of these committees was composed of representatives of one identifiable group--parents; persons in business, industry, and labor; teachers; school administrators; and local…

This booklet is designed to help parents understand how Washington schools are raising their academic standards. It also points out questions parents should ask about their children's schools and describes some at-home activities that will help a child make the most of time in and out of the classroom. The educational improvement effort in…

To help state policy makers and program developers, researchers gathered information on government policies regarding adolescent pregnancy and parenthood. Data were compiled through a questionnaire survey of health, education, and social service agencies in the federal government and all 50 states. The report describes federal programs relevant to…

Initial studies of school choice in Massachusetts have concentrated on the mechanics of the program, but this report examines why parents choose school choice. A survey of Massachusetts families participating in school choice was completed by 826 families (return rate of 41.8%), representing 987 choice students, or about 23.5% of the estimated…

Louisiana is one of the few states that uses indicator data to produce school report cards for statewide distribution to parents. The system, the Progress Profiles Program, produces report cards that must be accessible, meaningful, and understandable to a lay audience. An evaluation of the 1991-92 report cards was undertaken in 1993. In Phase 1…