The Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) is New Jersey's test for fourth graders. It is designed to give the school information about how well students are achieving in the areas required by New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards. This guide offers parents and students information about the ESPA. Parent information, which is…

In the past 5 years, each state in the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) developed virtual libraries that provide citizens access to licensed databases. This guide describes each state's offerings including the methods of access, resources, and…

This report is the third part of a policy research study of the counselor's role in Texas schools. It was conducted as a follow up on a key finding from a previous study, which led to the recommendation that counselors be relieved of extraneous duties in order to concentrate on guidance and counseling services to students. Case studies of 21…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between a high school student's score on the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) and the same student's score on the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in the area of mathematics. Student test scores were secured from 182 students at a middle Georgia high school…

The North Carolina Writing Assessment, which is part of the state's End-of-Grade testing program, requires students in grades 4 and 7 to write essays in response to a standardized prompt. This report contains results for the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). Fourth grade writing assessment scores across North Carolina rose in 1999, and in…

This report is the companion volume to the 1999 "National Education Goals Report," the ninth in a series of annual reports issued by the National Education Goals Panel to measure progress toward the eight National Education Goals. A U.S. scorecard is presented to summarize progress toward each of the 27 national indicators. The second…

This manual explains what graduated driver licensing (GDL) is and why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes it is so important for every jurisdiction to take steps towards its implementation. Section I introduces the need by defining the teen driving problem: inexperience, risk-taking behavior and immaturity, and greater risk…

These hearings transcripts recount testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives concerning early childhood development programs. Testimony addressed the questions of how public and private investments in early childhood programs contribute to successful outcomes for infants and mothers, and how these successes can be measured and replicated…

The four issues of this 1998 publication on gifted and talented students address the themes of: (1) acceleration and grouping, (2) professional development, (3) core content areas, and (4) giftedness: a Texas tradition. Major articles are: "Cooperative Learning, Curriculum Access, and the Challenge of Acceleration" (Ann Robinson);…

This report presents a description of state policies regarding the participation of English language learners (ELLs) in statewide assessment programs during the 1998-1999 school year. The data collected included descriptions of policies: (1) for the inclusion and exemption of ELLs; (2) regarding the allowance or prohibition of accommodations in…

Success for All is the most extensively researched of all comprehensive reform models for Title I elementary schools. It incorporates scientifically based principles of reading, cooperative learning, professional development, tutoring, and family support. Wisconsin elementary schools using the Success for All reading program have once again made …

Guided by a "Master Plan" and a legislative mandate, the work of the Regents has been far-reaching and widespread. But one of the greatest accomplishments over the past 40 years has been helping Ohio meet the higher education needs of its citizens. Enrollment at Ohio's public colleges and universities has increased from 115,157 students in 1963 to…

New Jersey GEAR UP has met, or nearly met, its recruitment and retention goals beginning in 1999-2000 and sustaining cohorts through 2003-2004. Student participants are members of low-income families and communities in four urban locations with high unemployment rates and high numbers of children living in poverty. The evaluator finds that New…

Because of the individual authority of each State for its own educational program, practices and policies differ widely among them in many respects. Yet in the midst of differences there are also common elements of development. The U. S. Office of Education, in presenting this series of monographs, has attempted to point out those common elements,…

Due to the decline in occupations in agriculture, South Carolina's Technical Education Center System is providing special school programs to pre-train workers for any industry willing to relocate into the State, or for any expanding industry within the State. (Author/DS)