Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a sound academic practice that contributes to adult learning by linking formal and informal learning. However, it has not been widely accepted by Canadian educational institutions. In 1996, a consortium of seven colleges and an independent PLAR consultant began a study to create a comprehensive…

In 1999 and 2000 RAND researchers surveyed Washington state principals and teachers to understand how the state's education reforms, which included standards and assessments, were being enacted at the school level. In 1999, researchers selected a stratified random sample of about 70 elementary schools and 70 middle schools, and in spring 2000 they…

This report provides information about how states identify schools that are not performing at expected levels and what some states have done to provide assistance in the improvement of these schools. Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina share similarities in their approaches in that they spent time and effort in preparatory activities,…

This report summarizes the annual unduplicated headcount enrollment and the annual full-time student equivalents (FTSE) generated by students in credit classes and by completers of clock-hour programs during fiscal year 2000-2001 at Pima Community College (Arizona). Highlights include: (1) Pima's total annual unduplicated headcount was 65,221 and…

This report provides guidance and information on resources to assist elementary schools, parents, community members, and policymakers in implementing a systemic approach to standards-based education. It makes clear recommendations on how schools can achieve a coordinated system in which standards, assessment, accountability, and curriculum are…

Developed by members of the Student Outcomes Assessment Committee at College of DuPage (Illinois), this booklet addresses various issues on student assessment. Assessment is a repeating cycle of basic actions. The organizers plan and define the outcomes or expectations and make them public. The organizers also assess the success of the action in…

This yearbook provides a review of research concerning the differences in providing quality education to all children. A number of data sources at both the national and state levels were reviewed in compiling the indicators of educational inputs featured within this report. Four focal points are as follows: (1) the financial resources brought to…

This document summarizes annual reports provided by Massachusetts' charter schools. It is supplemented with information from reports required of all public schools in the state and provides profiles of the 24 charter schools that were operating in 1997-98. The report opens with an overview of the four common features of charter schools--freedom,…

This volume is part of a series of Idea Books for school-based practitioners who are implementing federal compensatory-education programs. It demonstrates how educators and their supporting communities are implementing a new vision of comprehensive school reform using the schoolwide program option available under the 1994 reauthorization of the…

This paper describes the development of teacher- accountability systems in North Carolina. It explains how state officials in the 1960s finally realized that the education of the citizenry was essential to the state's economic development. Initial efforts in school reform focused on the curriculum, but it soon become clear that simply writing new…

This is Montana's first education profile. The measures in the profile, and the information they contain, provide a clear picture of education in the state. Public school education is provided by more than 460 school districts in this, the U.S.'s fourth largest state in terms of land. With only a few large communities, more than two-thirds of the…

This report focuses on the standards and test schools used to measure student and school performance in Texas. The primary method for evaluating the academic achievement of Texas public school students is a standardized test called the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). A review of TAAS scores and their uses suggests that the TAAS test…

The Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) is an appraisal system for Texas teachers that was implemented in 1995. The Continuous Improvement Instructional Planning Process is a systematic approach that teachers and administrators may use to align student performance with objectives related to the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills,…

This report addresses assessment of college student performance. Discussion focuses on why classroom assessment of students' achievement is important; how an instructor can ensure the quality of information from classroom assessments; methods of assessment particularly suited to various achievement targets; how the results of several assessments…

This digest addresses the importance of and the methods used to assess the performance of college students. Following a definition of "assessment," the digest considers: (1) why classroom assessment of students' achievement is important; (2) how an instructor can ensure the quality of information from classroom assessments; (3) methods…