This report presents the results of the second national survey of state activities in the assessment of educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The report does not contain actual outcomes data on students with disabilities. Survey results are based on responses from 47 state directors of special education and are presented in the…

This paper discusses a series of questions that state policymakers can use to assess the systemic nature of their education reform efforts. Suggestions are offered for identifying the evidence of scope, coherence, and balance of reform. To assess the scope of reform, a first step is to determine if the performance-based standards provide the…

This Toolkit is a guide to assessing student achievement and making students partners in the educational enterprise by clearly defining expectations for performance and letting students in on them. It is essentially about performance-based instruction and the role of student assessment in guiding and invigorating practice. This volume, Volume I,…

When California implemented its class-size reduction (CSR) program in 1996, a number of questions regarding financial burdens, teacher shortages, scarcity of facilities, and collective bargaining were raised. This first-year implementation study aims to provide some contextual information as background for answering questions, to clarify these…

The second-year report of the National Study of Charter Schools updates information on charter schools presented in the first report of the study. The study is a 4-year research effort (September 1995 to September 1999) intended to document and analyze the charter-school movement. It was designed to provide information about what kind of charter…

The 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) challenges states and districts to upgrade schools that serve disadvantaged students. This guide highlights effective methods and useful resources for planning schoolwide programs and for measuring their success. Section 1 explains schoolwide programs and their goals,…

This paper suggests that the mathematics teacher needs to do much reading and studying of important trends in improving the mathematics curriculum. Recommendations are made for what teachers need to look for in research studies in mathematics in order to help them recognize what would make for a quality study. Collaborative and individualized…

At present, there is a lack of information about how teacher-friendly or sustainable opportunity to learn (OTL) assessment strategies are when used in classrooms. This paper describes the results of a national survey of classroom teachers who teach in large urban school districts, districts that are members of the Council of Great City Schools.…

The focus of this book is on the way professionals use and make sense of test assessment data in their counseling. The book is oriented specifically toward those training to be psychologists or counselors, especially those interested in a scientist-practitioner orientation to clinical practice. Each of the chapters presents a perspective on test…

This special issue is the final issue of "Cityschools," a magazine that reports on research regarding the transformation of urban schools and makes this research more accessible to practitioners in urban classrooms. The research is described through the stories of real educators who are finding solutions to educational problems. The…

This report details efforts that states in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region have made to reach educational benchmarks for the year 2000. It focuses on readiness-for-school initiatives, such as preschool programs, and how schools in the SREB are advancing in this area. The report looks at student achievement, assessment of…

This study compared the perceptions of state policy makers and representatives of public higher education institutions about how mandated student assessment practices affect the teaching and learning processes. Three states with mandated assessment policies were examined in depth; the states varied in geographic region, authority structure, and…

This paper analyzes the results of a pilot study at Glendale Community College (Arizona) to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive multiple choice final exam in the macroeconomic principles course. The "pilot project" involved the administration of a 50-question multiple choice exam to 71 students in three macroeconomics sections.…

The superiority of Asian students in cross-cultural comparisons of mathematical achievement has been well documented. U.S.-Chinese comparative studies have investigated a variety of factors related to student achievement in mathematics including societal and cultural influences, and student and school characteristics. This study investigates the…

The effects of the significant changes in English education that have followed the 1988 Education Reform Act are explored in this study that considers the impact of the Reform Act on elementary schools and the changes in primary (elementary) schooling as an illustration of wider social developments. The work of B. Bernstein provides a framework…