At the root of the performance assessment movement is fairly widespread dissatisfaction with high-stakes multiple-choice tests. Many critics of multiple-choice tests argue that to improve instruction, tests themselves will have to improve. Hundreds of schools around the country are already experimenting with performance assessments, and many…

This paper has been written as a supporting paper to "A Bridge to the Future: Australia's National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training 1998-2003" (ED 420 764). Because vocational education and training (VET) activities constitute a major expenditure for Australia's federal, state, and territory governments, effective…

This study examined how eight rural, high-impact Minnesota school districts (defined as those losing or gaining a high percentage of student population due to school-choice implementation in fiscal year 1995) responded to school choice policy. Data from semistructured interviews with each district's superintendent were sorted and analyzed. In each…

This paper discusses the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and its impact on school facilities planning and community involvement in related decision making. Since 1900, the pattern of rural school reform, nationally and in Kentucky, has been one of increased state and federal control, with cost effectiveness and equity the primary criteria in…

Accountability mandates from accrediting agencies and state government require community colleges to report student graduation and transfer rates. State reporting systems maintained by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) provide one means of computing these measures. MHEC used fall enrollment and degree data to determine graduation and…

Educational testing is at a decisive moment, as the issue of standardized testing has become one of the most hotly debated education issues of the decade. The accuracy and relevance of standardized tests have been questioned by many researchers, evidenced in the 20-year report of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. There is general…

This core curriculum is designed for use in helping employees participating in a workplace-specific basic skills program develop basic team-building skills while simultaneously developing basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills. Although many of the instructional materials and sample forms included are applicable to employees in most…

This document is intended to assist South Dakota schools in the development and implementation of Gifted Education Plans, and includes state laws and rules pertaining to gifted education, guidelines for reporting, and explanations of the necessary components of a district's written plan. A brief statement of philosophy addresses characteristics of…

English and Spanish versions of a guide to testing reform are presented. The guide explains alternatives to standardized testing for educational assessment and shows how these new methods of evaluation will improve education. Standardized tests are used for an increasing number of purposes in the school system, but there is no proof that their use…

Research was conducted to determine whether Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) services were being targeted to those most in need, to identify which participants got which services, and to identify associations between characteristics, services, and outcomes. Data were obtained on 5,300 youth from a random sample of 63 service delivery areas. The…

A report and recommendations of the Arizona Board of Regents' Ad Hoc Committee on University Access and Retention focuses on the enhancement of ethnic minority integration and achievement in Arizona's universities. Eight sections cover: introduction (the challenge for Arizona's universities); House Bill 2108; early outreach (linkages and…

Case studies were conducted at the state and local level in Texas to evaluate the impact of the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act. Changes in vocational education at the state level that could be attributed to the Carl Perkins Act (CPA) included: (1) a smaller state advisory council with a majority representing business and industry; (2) a…

Written from the perspective of a state director of special education, the paper identifies and discusses accomplishments in special education during the 10 years since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) was enacted, current problems and issues, and future challenges within the following key areas of change: (1) access to…

The achievement of educational opportunity goals for the disabled in California is addressed in this report, which includes three brief working papers prepared for regional hearings and written testimony provided by 30 individuals. Included is the text of Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 3, which directed the California Postsecondary Education…

This report describes how successful statewide programs of educational standards and assessment are established and briefly discusses causes of program failure. Four key stages characterize effective program establishment: (1) planning, (2) development, (3) implementation, and (4) monitoring. Planning involves interaction among all parties, for…