The Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) is a relatively new, statewide performance assessment of students in grades 3, 5, and 8. When first administered in May of 1991, the MSPAP included a battery of performance assessment tasks designed to generate written or drawn responses to reading texts. This study evaluated selected…

Intended for parents of young children with disabilities in Texas, this booklet describes the Texas early childhood intervention (ECI) program and identifies parent rights. An introductory chart summarizes five steps of family centered services (from assessment and evaluation to the annual Individualized Family Service Plan meeting) in terms of…

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze Oregon's efforts to provide equal access to education, training, and information services to its citizens using advanced communication technologies through ED-NET, an innovative state agency for distance learning. It is noted that creation of ED-NET in 1989 required the coordination of multiple…

Supporters of alternative certification (AC) claim these programs can help to recruit minority and male teachers and to attract talented individuals with subject-area expertise in areas such as math, science, and foreign languages. Opponents claim that AC can undermine teacher professionalism and that it does and that it does not provide the…

This brief aims to alert educators to the special education needs of migrant children with disabilities. In 1991, the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) identified 711,696 migrant children, ages 0-21. The "at-risk" characteristics of the migrant family's health, working, and living conditions suggest that a representative number of…

Educational refinement is defined as attempts to improve education through incremental improvements in the existing structure, while educational reform refers to change in the structure itself. A strong move is underway to reform education in the United States. It is argued that the development of assessments in support of educational reform…

This report presents Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) performance results and results on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) in October 1990. This volume is comprised of the following sections: (1) Section I, an executive summary of TAAS performance for each grade level; (2) Section II, an overview of the program…

This report presents an evaluation of a state implemented prekindergarten program for disadvantaged 4-year-old children in Texas in light of the program's impact on the largest urban school districts. The purpose of the program was to break the cycle of school failure and underachievement of disadvantaged and limited English proficient children.…

An evaluation described Tech Prep prototypes as they were implemented in five different Indiana sites and assessed their effectiveness. Evaluation procedures included: (1) collection and analysis of data from students involved in Tech Prep for the first time in 1990-91 and students involved for the second year; (2) analysis of prototype project…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated statistical survey of educational achievement of U.S. students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement over time. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) established new standards for reporting the results that resulted in three…

This document presents learning materials designed to support school and community activities dealing with the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, and particularly with New York State's role in the nation's constitutional history. The following materials concerning school and community activities are included: "'Congress Shall Make No…

This publication presents the findings of a California State Legislature task force on the changing needs of that state's families. An introduction summarizes the report's findings and lists five principles to guide the development of public policy. The next section, "Work and Family: The Contemporary Balancing Act," explores…

This publication offers an analysis of California families' need for childcare, and reviews policies on preschool in an effort to assist lawmakers in policy formation. The analysis discusses the history of childcare and child development programs in California with a view toward enhancing the future of young children and points the direction for…

The following presentations are included in this document: "A Nation of Students" (Lamar Alexander); "Businesses Are Clamoring for Skilled Workers" (Betsy Brand); "We Need to Be Partners in Reality" (Roberts Jones); "The Value of a Working Parent as a Role Model" (JoAnne Barnhart); "Human Capital Is…

This handbook is designed to help Iowa library media specialists, teachers, and administrators develop quality library media programs. The first section summarizes the roles and responsibilities of the library media program. This is followed by a section that addresses personnel issues, including guidelines for professional and support staff; the…