This article examines three legal and policy issues affecting students with emotional and behavioral disorders: placement in the least restrictive environment; discipline of students who present a danger to staff and students; and inclusion of students with disabilities in accountability and assessment programs. (DB)

This article discusses the development of World Class Tests in England that enable gifted students to celebrate their achievement within an international context and to enter the World Class Arena. The Arena is being constructed as an international forum where educators and teachers can communicate on research and best practice. (CR)

This article describes variables that may influence alternate assessment outcomes for students with disabilities and offers recommendations to enhance student achievement. These variables include technical quality, curriculum access, data collection, instructional effectiveness, risk factors, and resources allocated to instruction. Two of four…

This article discusses Virginia's efforts to implement new educational standards coupled with high-stakes assessments. Students with disabilities have been fully included in reform efforts and participation in the high-stakes assessment program has been relatively active. The focus on only academic skills to the exclusion of life skills is…

The educational community needs to ensure that children have developed learning strategies before they are expected to develop subject or task proficiency. The low achievement of poor children is due to their lack of preparation. The stratification of American society is the major problem with education. (BJV)

The effectiveness of a seven-period schedule for a rural high school (grades 8 through 12) in southwestern Virginia was studied. Seventy-six faculty members and 977 students were surveyed during the 1985-86 school year. Results--presented separately on students, faculty, and budgetary concerns--indicate that the schedule was viable. (TJH)

Earlier metaphors of schools as factories and children as raw products have had powerful effects on opinions about schools. However, an analysis of education spending and test scores, international and domestic, shows that U.S. schools offer good value. Comparison of public schools in nonpoverty areas with private schools reveals little…

Asserts that although undergraduate geography internships are widespread throughout the United States, few schools require them for the major. Profiles the program at Illinois State University that requires an internship. Student and intern sponsor evaluations suggest that the program is a success. (MJP)

The current crisis in American education is examined as reflected in student performance assessments at all levels, and the role of performance indicators in shaping public opinion is discussed. Development of national educational goals, the resulting assessment dilemma for higher education, and methods of assessing progress are also explored.…

This is the third of three reports based on a statewide (Indiana) survey of school library media center collections, budgets and services. Data was gathered from September to November 1993 and the information presented is distilled from responses from 823 public and private schools. Meaningful relationships among basic data and comparison of…

Discusses integration of students with severe disabilities, noting that programing is superior in integrated settings as illustrated by students' Individualized Education Programs. Various assessment tools help determine the extent to which best practices are being adhered to while attending to the individualized programing needs of students with…

The validity of several criticisms of objective tests is addressed, and the viability of some alternatives to objective testing is discussed. Evidence against multiple-choice tests is not as strong as has been claimed. Authentic assessments may not always be better, and research about new forms of assessment is necessary. (SLD)

Use of performance gaps analysis in program evaluation is examined by analyzing and critiquing the gap reduction design as an experimental design and an analytic tool in program outcome evaluation. The example of the Bilingual Education Evaluation System illustrates the contention that disadvantages of the method outweigh its contributions. (SLD)

Proposals for a significant improvement in education include the following: an alternative program for low performing students; a school-plus plan that extends the school year; a program that gives students the option of returning to take classes; choice for the neighborhood school; a program for students who show an affinity for science and…

The ability of a dynamic measure of phonemic awareness to predict progress in beginning reading was studied with 38 kindergartners. Results support the utility of the developed measures and demonstrate the applicability of the principles of dynamic assessment to the measurement of phonemic awareness. (SLD)