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)

Reported are the results of a survey of all the state certifying agencies and the District of Columbia on certification of special education teachers for the severely/profoundly handicapped. (IM)

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

This report is the result of a conference that examined major civil rights issues facing people who are blind and visually impaired in Illinois and is intended to inform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concerning issues of equal protection. The introductory chapter reviews leading types and causes of blindness and visual impairment, incidence…

This report describes the range of methods used by state education agencies to report special education information to the public and the challenges related to this reporting. It begins by reviewing the reporting requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and then reports the results of a…

Texas has spent nearly 2 decades in a slow, steady push for educational reform, and it has successfully adjusted its school improvement initiatives when initial attempts proved off the mark. The Texas record in terms of student achievement has been the subject of some scholarly, and much political, debate over the last 2 years, but this evaluation…

This report is designed to help child care administrators use research to guide the development of comprehensive state systems for child care. The report begins with guidelines for establishing and maintaining child care research projects. The remainder of the report is comprised of five sections addressing key research questions: (1) projecting…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 presents states with new opportunities and flexibility to design programs for teen parents. This report summarizes how welfare reform has changed the environment for teen parents dependent on welfare. The report presents research findings on the costs of supporting teen…

The purpose of this study was to examine the current Arizona Construction practices and costs in order to provide quantitative and qualitative information to the Arizona Department of Education that will assist in making recommendations and projections for school facilities statewide. The data were taken from an in-depth study of new schools under…

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.…