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…

This brief report provides information about a very significant education reform program and tax increase, commonly known as Proposition 301. Coverage includes the history leading up to the ballot measure approved by Arizona voters in November 2000, its status approximately one year after it went into effect, and its prospects over a 20-year life…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) measures reading, mathematics, and writing skills through multiple-choice test items and a writing test essay. It is administered, by law, to students entering Texas public institutions of higher education before they complete 9 semester hours. Passing all sections indicates a general readiness to perform…

Local school district teacher evaluation plans, processes, and procedures were studied to determine whether they measure up to the criteria outlined by D. Stufflebeam's "Personnel Evaluation Standards" (1988). The applicability and interpretability of the "Standards" across 14 actual cases from local school districts in…

The Video Instructional Development and Educational Opportunity (VIDEO) Program encourages all public educational institutions in Missouri to supplement educational opportunities through the use of telecommunications technology, including instructional television programming and satellite broadcast instruction. Three subprograms within the VIDEO…

The psychometric properties of the testing tools of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP), the state standardized testing program, are examined. Reliability studies have indicated that the scores from the MEAP, ranging from 0.654 to 0.949, are generally acceptable. The State Department of Education offered supporting evidence for the…

This report outlines New York state's plan for vocational rehabilitation and supported employment services for federal fiscal years 1998-2000. Part 1 provides affirmative statements assuring that programs will be administered consistent with federal laws and regulations. Changes resulting from the federal regulations implementing the 1992…

All states are addressing the problems of accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL's) in state assessment systems, but Massachusetts is noteworthy for the way in which it handles this problem. Since the early 1980s, over 40 states have created a statewide assessment program. Testing in these states is typically modeled on the National…

This report analyzes policy trends in gifted education in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut from 1984 through 1994. The decrease in state funding of gifted education during this period is investigated, along with the rise of private and university gifted programs. Findings from the analysis indicated that gifted students possess few of the…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics offers the most comprehensive picture available of elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The value of the SASS would be even greater if information on districts and schools could be related directly to student outcomes. A relatively inexpensive…

This paper describes New Jersey's High School Proficiency Test (HPST) in reading, one of three tests given to all 11th graders as a state graduation requirement. Each reading passage represents one of four test types (narrative, informational, persuasive/argumentative, and workplace). Each passage is followed by multiple-choice items and at least…

Arizona funding for adult education is authorized by Arizona Revised Statutes; federal funding is received under provisions of the Adult Education Act. The mission of Arizona adult education programs is to ensure adults' access to high quality educational opportunities to support them in their employment, job training, and higher educational…

The North Carolina State Board of Education, as part of the Quality Assurance Program, established a computer proficiency requirement for students in grade eight for the 1996-97 school year and beyond in order to receive a North Carolina high school diploma. The first opportunity to meet the requirement is during the eighth grade. Passing the…