This report provides a comprehensive account of the performance of students with disabilities on state assessment measures. Following an overview of the issues, it explains the laws that govern the reporting of assessment results (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA) and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary…

This essay is based on the author's presentation at the Wachman Fund's 2003 history institute, "Teaching Japan." An overview of Japan's educational system and common misconceptions about Japanese schools are presented. American resistance to comparative education ins general is also discussed. By setting aside traditional biases against…

This "Research to Practice Note" provides an overview of the cognitive science and measurement theory and research findings that support the EFF approach to assessment. Among the key findings addressed are the following: (1) Good assessment is grounded in a clear and explicit model of the cognitive processes that underlie complex and purposeful…

The experience of Maryland in implementing large scale assessment in the context of school reform is explored. The ways in which the state Department of Education has worked with divergent groups to build a continuing and strong school reform program are discussed. In 1987 Maryland's governor created a Commission on School Performance. This was…

The purpose of this study was twofold: to develop teachers' assessment skills and to enable teachers to apply this knowledge to the creation of assessment tasks for the language arts curriculum thereby linking curriculum to assessment. Using a newly developed language arts curriculum, 79 urban Connecticut teachers were asked to develop the…

After assessing national progress toward the 1990 National Education Goals, President Clinton announced his "Call to Action for American Education" in February 1997, which identified critical areas where work was still needed. The Department of Education (ED) developed seven priorities to help focus its efforts. The priorities are: read…

Americans are increasingly disenchanted with what they perceive to be lackluster efforts to improve schools. Some new approaches are needed. Schools must be re-created by local school leaders and by teachers who will focus on their vision or visions of what their school culture, learning, and teaching would be like if all conditions were as they…

America's common schools are at a crossroads. This collection of speeches, articles and columns, written by the executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), between 1994-1997, addresses many of the issues today. The overriding theme is the need to preserve common schools, which are presented as the key instrument…

This document presents the Strategic Plan and Academic Development Plan for Kapi'olani Community College (KCC) (Hawaii). In addition to its liberal arts transfer mission, KCC offers the state's only programs in Health Sciences and Legal Education and the only community college nursing programs on Oahu. The goals in the Strategic Plan document…

The percentage of high school students passing the first semester Algebra 1A final exam in January 2000 dropped precipitously from the passing rate one year earlier. That decline in final exam passing rates was due largely to the adoption among all schools of a uniform algebra exam combined with a system-wide uniform grading scale. High school…

This report discusses an evaluation of the implementation of Whole School Reform (WSR) in New Jersey. It is based on a study intended to update the New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) on the implementation of WSR model programs and strategies in three school cohorts and also outline the technical assistance needs of district and…

The newsletters of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) (California) provide commission news and discussions on current issues and policies regarding institutional accreditation. The January 2000 issue states that recent annual reports submitted by member institutions to ACCJC have revealed confusion about what…

This report is the fulfillment of the reporting requirement of the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program in which the State Board of Education was instructed to report on the performance of public schools and school districts. It reports on 548 school districts and 1,801 conventional school sites. The report covers data on classroom teachers,…

This book is intended to provide teachers with research information and practical ideas for modifying assessments to make them more equitable and beneficial for all students. It encourages teachers to recognize the diverse sociocultural factors that contribute to students' identities in order to accurately and equitably assess their learning. The…

This report analyzes education in Minnesota. After a brief introduction in chapter 1, chapter 2 reviews educational accountability at the national and state levels and the development of Minnesota's own assessment and accountability system. This review not only leads to recommended next steps in that assessment and accountability system, it also…