State-mandated testing programs have been in place in New Jersey since the 1976-77 school year. In 1989, the current test was replaced with two new testing programs, the Eighth Grade Early Warning Test (EWT) and the Eleventh Grade High School Proficiency Test (HSPT11). This paper follows the Trenton (New Jersey) Central High School Class of 1995,…

Beginning in 1995, the Michigan Department of Education sponsored pilot projects at the state's community colleges to develop curricular learning models and/or courses that integrate liberal arts or general education into vocational programs, identify and document faculty collaboration between liberal arts and occupational programs, and determine…

This paper addresses the characteristics of alternative secondary education programs in Minnesota for students with special needs or considered to be "at risk." It examines various alternative school options including Area Learning Centers (which provide personalized year round, day and evening programs for learners aged 12 through…

This publication provides the basic statistics needed to illustrate the impact of North Carolina's Basic Education Program (BEP), an educational reform effort begun in 1985. Over 85% of the positions in the BEP are directly related to teaching and student-related activities. The new BEP programs result in smaller class sizes in kindergartens and…

High stakes testing has been in place in North Carolina since the late 1970s with highly visible, nationally norm-referenced tests administered to all students in several grades, as well as minimum competency testing as part of high school graduation requirements. A current back-to-basics movement has resulted in cuts to the testing program. A new…

This publication provides information on Ohio's Postsecondary Enrollment Options Program (PEOP) through a synopsis of program rules and answers to frequently asked questions about the program. The PEOP was established to permit high school students in grades 11 and 12 to earn college and high school graduation credit through the successful…

This report briefly describes the tests, subtests, test scores, and reports that fulfill the requirements of Arizona state legislation regarding educational accountability. It summarizes the fall 1994 Arizona statewide results by grade and across grades. Discussions of student achievement strengths and weaknesses by grade level and demographic…

The New Jersey Grade 11 High School Proficiency Test (HSPT11) consists of sections for reading, mathematics, and writing that must be passed as requirements for a high school diploma. Students who do not pass all three sections receive additional instruction and retake sections they have not passed. This booklet helps educators review, interpret,…

This final report describes strategies identified from interviews with educators in eight school districts in three states (Arkansas, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania) concerning the disproportionate number of students from racial/ethnic minority groups receiving special education services. The first section describes the methodology of the case study…

The effectiveness of Mississippi's policy of offering incentives to promote workplace training was examined through phone surveys of a sample of 101 of Mississippi's 2,617 manufacturing firms with 100-350 employees (47 of the 77 plants that have used Mississippi incentive programs and 54 plants that have not) and in-depth case studies of 4 plants.…

A project provided technical assistance and support to the Wisconsin Vocational Equity Leadership Cadre to enable them to assist local districts in meeting the equity assurances in the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990. Approximately 80 members of the cadre, educators responsible for providing regional…

The purpose of this study was: (1) to examine state legislature agendas for providing access to use of technology for educational purposes; (2) to review legislative policy concerns and priorities related to the role of technology in postsecondary education; and (3) to examine the effect of legislative views and actions regarding technology on…

This report details current state efforts to promote responsible fatherhood, identifies and profiles specific strategies to encourage fathers to be responsible, and summarizes state father-related data. Chapter 1, "Setting the Context," provides a rationale for the policy interest in fathers and presents the methodology for the study.…

Hawaii uses the eighth edition of the Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford 8) to assess academic performance of the student population in grades 3, 6, 8, and 10. Hawaii was not included in the norming for the Stanford 8, neither for the national nor the Pacific norms. In this study, Hawaii norms were developed based on the Stanford 8 reading and…

This report presents the first product of a comprehensive 5-year evaluation of a major federal effort, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (1994), which provides 5-year federal grants as "seed money" to design systems involving work-based learning, school-based learning, and connecting activities. The report is based on extensive site…