A survey of 34 special education directors in large school districts that concerned how current education reforms are applied to children with disabilities examined academic content standards, assessments, and graduation and diplomas. Results indicate students with disabilities are differentially considered within specific reform policies and a…

A Colorado school district approved a mill levy that tied additional future funding to improved student performance on the Colorado Student Assessment Program. In a single year the district met more than half of their 3-year goal and credits success to a focused, data-driven approach, a bipartisan citizens committee, a strategic plan, a plan for…

A study compared the effects of different methods of analyzing trends to illustrate how failure to account for change in classification will lead to misinterpretation of data on the performance of students with disabilities. Data from five years of assessment in Texas is used to illustrate effects of classification changes. (Contains references.)…

The usefulness of traditional concepts of validity and reliability, developed for large-scale assessments, for the classroom context is explored. Alternate frameworks that situate these constructs in teachers' work in classrooms are presented, and their use in an assessment course for preservice teachers is described. (SLD)

Governing bodies of educational institutions should manage the performance-information agenda as part of their governance responsibilities. Questions are offered for governing body members to consider in deciding how to enhance their organization's performance reporting. Information needs related to various aspects of institutional performance are…

Examines international assessments, like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, and what they can tell about how well Canadian students perform relative to other participating jurisdictions and how well jurisdictions do on different assessments at different points in time. Discusses uses of international comparisons to inform…

Reviews two models for assessment, the measurement model and the standards model, their underlying assumptions about learners, and the resulting implications for performance-based test development. Discusses the current testing debate, defines terms such as "authentic assessment" and "performance-based assessment," and…

This article reviews the development of curriculum practices for students with severe disabilities and examines 3 components of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including: an emphasis on preparing for employment and independent living, access to the general curriculum, and participation in district-and state-wide assessments.…

Examines the effects of tutoring on trained college tutors and tutees. Reports on interviews of 39 tutors and evaluations from 838 of their tutees, concluding that tutoring plays an integral role in the development of college students and that tutoring programs have value on campus. Lists the qualities of a good tutor, describes tutoring processes…

In this article, the author discusses the most recent attempt by educators to emulate the "sound principles" and methods of business and science, which is to become data-driven. The leaders in a data-driven school are able to demonstrate how some number, preferably scores on standardized tests, moved up as a result of some program they initiated.…

On November 3, 2005, the "Harvard Educational Review" interviewed Margaret Spellings, the eighth U.S. Secretary of Education. Spellings, who was confirmed as secretary of education on January 20, 2005, served as assistant to the president for domestic policy during George W. Bush's first term, and was responsible for the development of…

In this article, Andrew Martin, deputy head teacher at Greenside School in Stevenage, provides an outline of the development of the P scales as an assessment tool for pupils working below Level 1 of the National Curriculum. He recounts the difficulties his school found in using P scales to track pupil progress from year to year and describes and…

This article presents the author's response to the article "The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning--Done By Sociologists: Let's Make That the Sociology of Higher Education" by Chad Hanson. In this response to Hanson's call for a sociology of higher education (SHE), the author will focus upon two things. First, he will review an idea…

In the last 15 years, New Zealand has experienced a range of educational "reforms'' driven by a neo-liberal agenda which has insisted that the education system serve the goal of enhancing the nation's economic performance and its competitive edge through the inculcation in learners of the skills requisite to the pursuit of this goal. Fuelled…

Although differential item functioning (DIF) theory traditionally focuses on the behavior of individual items in two (or a few) specific groups, in educational measurement contexts, it is often plausible to regard the set of items as a random sample from a broader category. This article presents logistic mixed models that can be used to model…