The major challenge that school districts face is to improve the learning of all students, not just in individual schools, but across the entire system of schools. Duval County, Florida has embarked on a remarkable journey to implement standards-based reform in schools throughout the district with the intent to systematically improve teaching and…

Educology is the fund of knowledge about the educational process, which obviously occurs within and outside of schools. Educology includes, at the least, the fund of knowledge about past education (historical educology), about current states of affairs in education (scientific educology), about effective practices within education (praxiological…

This report examines data from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), focusing on the achievement gap in Washington state public schools. It uses scale scores rather than simply "percentage meeting standard"; analyzes data on both individual and building levels; and displays data in many different ways designed to clarify…

A study examined educational attainment among Latino students in the six-county San Francisco Bay Area. California's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program results for 1998-99 were used to assess student achievement in reading and mathematics for grades 4, 7, and 10. Data were also collected on enrollment, dropout rates, percentage of…

The present study examined outcomes on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program/Achievement Test (TCAP/AT) for the KIPP:DIAMOND Academy (KIPP:DA), which is in its second year of operation. Importantly, as in Year 1, a rigorous quasi-experimental research design was employed, in which each KIPP:DA student was individually matched to a highly…

Disputing the claim that improved student learning requires stronger academic standards and stiffer tests, the authors of this book contend that effective state reform depends on coherence in policy and practice, and opportunities for professional learning. It draws on a study of a program in California that worked to improve mathematics teaching…

The paper describes the rationale and 10-day implementation in a 5th-grade classroom (n=19) of an experimental ratio-and-proportion instructional design. In this constructivist-phenomenological design, coming from our theoretical perspective, design research, and domain analysis, students: (1) link "real-world" and "mathematical" objects…

Annually in May and June, grade 3, 6, and 9 students in Alberta (Canada) take provincial achievement tests. This guide, in both English and French versions, explains the achievement tests. The tests are designed to indicate how well students meet the province's standards, to support teachers in planning instruction, and to inform the public about…

Annually in May and June, grade 3, 6, and 9 students in Alberta (Canada) take provincial achievement tests. This guide, in both English and French versions, explains the achievement tests. The tests are designed to indicate how well students meet the province's standards, to support teachers in planning instruction, and to inform the public about…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) covered five different grade levels, with more than 40 countries collecting data in more than 30 different languages. More than a million students were tested. The present report contains the TIMSS results for students in the final year of secondary school. Mathematics and science…

This report presents data from one elementary school's (Hartford, CT region) second year (1996-97) implementation of a mathematics reform action research project by the professional development team. Teachers from grades 2-5 systematically implemented an ancillary problem solving curriculum in their classrooms after receiving training by a…

These 37 Washington Kids Count brochures, one for each of the state's counties and major metropolitan areas, examine statewide trends in the well-being of Washington's children. The reports begin with a statewide summary that points out the discrepancies of children's well-being within the state by area. The statistical portrait is based on three…

A team of university and public school mathematics educators designed performance-based mathematics assessment tasks designed to align with the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills for 93 students who had been identified as at-risk in mathematics. Scenarios were developed based on four contexts: (1) familiar activity; (2) social issue; (3)…

This report describes a decision-making tool designed to inform English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and bilingual educators of the most up-to-date participation and test accommodations guidelines and to assist educators in the process of making informed decisions. It reports on the results of a study that examined the tool's feasibility. The…

In 1999, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was administered to students in grades 4, 5, 8, and 10 to assess student achievement of the Sunshine State Standards in reading and mathematics as mandated by the Florida legislature. This report informs administrators, legislators, and the general public about the reading and mathematics…