This study introduced and demonstrated a new methodology for item and test bias studies: moderated differential item functioning (DIF). This technique expands the DIF methodology to incorporate contextual and sociological variables as moderating effects of the DIF. The study explored differential domain functioning (DDF), so that the focus of…

The Wisconsin Forces for Four-Year-Olds Project promotes the community approach to offering universal access to quality care and learning services for Wisconsin 4-year-olds. Based on the view that quality early education opportunities have life-long benefits for children and the communities in which they live, this public awareness packet…

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), established in 1999, requires all high school students beginning with the class of 2004 to pass the CAHSEE to earn a high school diploma. A study was conducted in a large urban school district in central California of the first year of implementation of CAHSEE. The study gathered evidence about…

This report is a brief analysis of the criteria states use to determine if there is a disproportionately high or low number of students from a particular racial/ethnic group receiving special education services, assigned to a disability classification, or placed in an educational environment. Recent information indicates that 29 states have…

This document provides a framework for better understanding of the knowledge and skills essential to a state level position within special education. It was developed with an eye on essential skills and knowledge for carrying out the general supervision/leadership requirements of the state education agency (SEA) specifically as it related to…

The document features two articles on school reform in Pennsylvania. Part one discusses the Instruction Support Team (IST) (Kovaleski, Tucker, and Duffy). The IST process is an intensive building-based pre-referral intervention program to assist elementary students experiencing difficulty in the classroom. The IST is a working group of teachers…

The goal of this workshop for school psychologists is to provide high quality training in best practices for instructional evaluation. An objective of these trainings is to facilitate the implementation of the instructional evaluation requirement of the Special Education Regulations and Standards for determining eligibility for special education…

This document is comprised of the one issue in volume 6 of "Bridges," a publication produced by the California Head Start-State Collaboration Office to detail the activities of the educational partnership and to provide relevant information to programs participating in the partnership. The Summer 2001 issue focuses on providing…

This is one of several reports used to monitor the public-school system in North Carolina. This report has three purposes: (1) to assist policymakers in gauging the status and progress of student achievement in the state; (2) to compare student achievement in North Carolina with student achievement nationwide; and (3) to inform the public of the…

This research study focuses an historical case study on a large-scale intervention called Florida SchoolYear (SY2000), which was a visionary example of how the state of Florida tried to design and develop a means for delivering quality education. By studying the Florida SY2000 Initiative, this research study examined issue-oriented questions…

To address concerns of an excess of paperwork documenting compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a survey of all 50 state education agencies was conduced that investigated the role of state education agencies in the documentation of special education procedures. The survey listed 19 types of forms related to documentation…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report addresses how Proposition 10 Commissions can organize their work and their…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report examines how child health services can be improved to support two related…

This report provides an overview and description of social and emotional learning (SEL) and service-learning (S-L) as tools to improve the lives and academic performance of students. It describes how the two practices are interrelated, and cites research evidence that supports the expanded use of both practices in the classroom. Also provided are…

The Build Initiative is a multi-state partnership created to help states develop a coordinated system of programs, policies, and services that is responsive to the needs of families, careful in the use of private and public resources and effective in preparing the youngest children for a successful future. New Jersey is one of nine states selected…