The paper addresses a number of issues concerning policy and curriculum in post-compulsory education and training (PCET). Firstly, it seeks to locate PCET within its socio-economic context as it is this that frames curricula within the learning and skills sector and serves to legitimate its particular form. Secondly, the paper addresses the manner…

Prior to the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 (PL 94-142), the educational experience of disabled children and youth was varied and uncertain. Many children and youth with sensory, physical or cognitive impairments received minimal skill development training in institutions, separate day classes, church basements…

Whilst regulation is utilized by governments in Australia and internationally as a means of promoting quality standards in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, a growing body of literature is critical of the detrimental effect of this regulation. Drawing on our investigation into early childhood teachers' perceptions of the impact…

In this article, the author reports the results of a national survey taken by state assessment directors on the impact of No Child Left Behind on nonassessed subjects between the years 2001-5. Results indicate that during this time, statewide assessment of science and writing increased whereas it decreased in the social studies, arts and…

This paper focuses on the experiences of British parents who have children identified with "special education needs" within mainstream education. Expectations of mainstream education can have a negative affect on parents when a child is unable to maintain his or her education within a mainstream school. In England and Wales,…

The purpose of this report is to provide descriptive data regarding the test scores of Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) students in grades 4, 8 and 10 in reading, math, and science, as reported to the School Choice Demonstration Project 2008-2009. The tables, graphs, and histograms presented in this paper provide a snapshot of these…

A set of procedures is described for constructing an assessment network composed of a connected system of rater and writing task banks within the context of large-scale assessments of written composition. The calibration of the assessment tasks and the measurement of individuals are viewed as separate, although complementary, activities. The…

This digest identifies Internet resources of particular interest to the educational assessment community. Gopher sites and web sites are identified and discussed for the following organizations and institutions: (1) American Educational Research Association; (2) American Evaluation Association; (3) Arizona State University College of Education;…

Connecticut's school-accountability law, Connecticut General Statute 10-220(c), requires reporting on a broad-based system of educational indicators that include measures of student needs, school resources, school performance (process), and student performance. This paper presents findings of a study that, using information from Connecticut's…

This social studies course of study for the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools is organized into four sections. Section 1 highlights the broad changes from the previous course of study in the Overview, Introduction, and Special Program Features sections. Program features described in detail include significant areas of new emphasis: history…

Educators hold varied opinions about the nature of the social foundations of education. The social-foundations perspective generally characterizes education as an integrated multidisciplinary approach to the study of education, which focuses on the relationship among social conditions, values, and educational policies. This paper supports the…

On September 30, 1993, Far West Laboratory (FWL) and the California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) sponsored a cost/benefit forum to examine cost-analysis issues associated with the development and implementation of instructionally sound assessment. This report highlights the central ideas addressed at the forum, incorporates the audience…

Analytic scoring was added to the 1994 Iowa Writing Assessment as a complement to focused holistic scoring. Four trait scores are provided: ideas/content, organization, voice, and conventions. Scoring protocols were developed on the basis of students' actual writing samples, with particular attention to factors affecting the fairness and…

In recent years, attention to educational reform began to focus on state-level governance and policy. This paper presents findings of a study that examined continuity and change in state-level Performance Reporting (PR) policies in the United States, particularly their relationship to education reform. The paper provides a brief history of…

The Maltese islands consist of Malta, Gozo, and Comino and two tiny uninhabited islands, strategically located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. This handbook contains a brief description of secondary education in Malta. Following the introduction, section 1 provides an overview of the mission of the Ministry of Education and Human…