This technical manual provides information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS), the assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System. The time period covered is Accountability Cycle 2, which spanned the school years 1992-93 through 1995-96. Sections of…

This document contains 61 poems, short stories, and personal reflections that were selected from more than 300 entries submitted by adult literacy students throughout Ohio. The works included are as follows: "The Apartment" (Shirley Pettit); "The Last Poem Before I Die" (Lonnie Littleton); "A Family Lost" (Mary Rapp);…

On February 15, 1996, the Clinton-Gore Administration announced the Technology Literacy Challenge, envisioning a 21st century where all students benefit from the use of educational technology. At the heart of this challenge are four goals that help to define the task at hand: All teachers in the nation will have the training and support they need…

This directory compiles information on Montana agencies, schools, colleges, and programs concerned with American Indian education. The first section covers educational agencies, associations, and resources. A brief annotated bibliography describes 10 books for educators. Contact information is provided for the Board of Public Education, the…

This report presents preliminary results from four sets of tests that are part of the North Carolina state testing program. The Grade 3 Pretest is a multiple choice reading and mathematics test administered to students at the beginning of third grade. This pretest was administered to more than 102,000 students in the 1999-2000 school year, and…

This Equity Plan is designed to meet three major objectives for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. It is meant to serve as the policy reference for systemwide equity and diversity efforts for the remainder of the 1990s and to be the procedural and policy blueprint for the efforts of the individual universities in the system. The…

To realize its vision as an accountable, collaborative, and increasingly integrated network of universities focused on higher learning, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education commits itself to three major initiatives, focusing on: (1) learning; (2) collaboration and integration; and (3) the accountability imperative. These goals and the…

This study examines the impact of the Pennsylvania writing assessment policy on writing instruction and teaching methodology. Drawing on self-reported teacher perceptions and classroom practices, the study also attempts to identify the factors that influence teacher beliefs and their use of materials and processes related to the state writing…

This brief updates an overview of welfare benefits and services in Texas in 1997, when House Bill 1863 and the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 first went into effect. Since 1997, Texas and 12 other states from the Assessing the New Federalism study have implemented many changes in social safety net…

This brief examines changes in Florida's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits conducted in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Florida's population, economy, and politics, reviewing its income support and social services safety net. Three sections detail current policies and recent changes in…

This brief summarizes information collected during visits to Massachusetts in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997, updating a 1997 report on the state's benefits and services and the economic and political context shaping Massachusetts' agenda for serving low-income families. It profiles Massachusetts' economy and population,…

This brief examines changes in Washington's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits to Washington in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Washington's demographic, economic, and political conditions, reviewing its income support and social services systems and highlighting recent changes,…

A project was conducted to establish criteria by which adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) student enrollment, completion, early separation, and educational level/category attainment are reported throughout Pennsylvania. First, staff at 10 Project Educational Quality for Adult Literacy (EQuAL) sites were interviewed to identify recurring…

This study examined state and national benchmarks and standards for K-12 science instruction, curricular goals, and objectives for K-12 science, state, and national assessments that measure student achievement in science and student use of computers and technology for science in grades K-12. The study used survey data and student achievement…

The Ensuring Student Success Through Collaboration Network, administered by the Council of Chief State School Officers, is comprised of teams of state and local leaders from Arkansas, California, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, and Washington and works to connect education improvement efforts with other human service reforms, economic…