This paper aims to provide a critical review and comparison of the following sets of standards of practice for teachers: (1) The Victorian Interim Teacher Class Standards (ITCS), especially Interim Teacher Class Standards for Beginning Teachers; (2) Professional Standards for Teachers; (3) The National Competencies for Beginning Teaching; (4) The…

Under the new federal No Child Left Behind law, state assessments must be aligned to grade-level standards/benchmarks, and every school in Indiana and other states will soon be judged based on its ability to raise the percentage of students achieving proficiency on these tests. This will no doubt lead to much greater scrutiny of states'…

This paper discusses the Research and Evaluation Program at the State Library of New South Wales (Australia) and what it has revealed about clients' notions of value and relevance. An overview is provided of the services that have been developed in order to meet clients expectations, including reading room services and the development of the 3Tier…

This paper discusses performance measurement in university libraries, based on examples from the University of Wollongong (UoW) in Australia. The introduction highlights the integration of information literacy into the curriculum and the outcomes of a 1998 UoW student satisfaction survey. The first section considers performance indicators in…

Considering the necessity to facilitate the optimal development of reading ability, and the cooperation of the community, family, school, student, and teacher, this paper presents Washington State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements in Reading as a way to encourage equal access to excellent reading instruction and opportunities to learn for…

The purpose of this document is to provide more detailed guidance around early literacy instruction than afforded by currently available national and state standards documents. In particular, this document: (1) establishes consistent definitions for the terms "standard" and "benchmark"; (2) establishes a consistent format for early literacy…

This document highlights the problems with current federal education program data collection activities and lists several factors that make movement toward a possible solution, then discusses the vision for the Integrated Performance and Benchmarking System (IPBS), a vision of an Internet-based system for harvesting information from states about…

Noting that knowledge of history is the precondition of political intelligence, Nevada's academic standards for history are intended to provide the framework for a comprehensive K-12 history education to prepare students for the responsibilities and challenges of life in the 21st century. It is imperative in today's global economy for Nevada…

The Colorado Model Content Standards for History address both U.S. and world history, including the history of the Americas, and may well necessitate reorganization of the social studies. The standards guide explains, that because of the increasing interactions among all nations of the world and the effects of these interactions on individuals'…

The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has been underway since 1997. Since then, fourth grade students have been assessed annually on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Reading and Writing. In 1998, testing began on third grade reading. Over the course of time, other grades and subject areas will be phased in. In the spring of 2000,…

This Wisconsin academic standards guide for art and design explains what is meant by academic standards. The guide declares that academic standards specify what students should know and be able to do; what students might be asked to do to give evidence of standards; how well students must perform; and that content, performance, and proficiency…

This document establishes highly detailed benchmarks for literacy and numeracy (initial, developing, and adequate) in three phases. The guide is a series of tables detailing language competencies, literacy competencies, and conditions as well as sample tasks and examples for each of the three levels in each of the three phases. It details reading,…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

The 1988 Higher Education Reorganization Act established an accountability process for public colleges and universities in Maryland. The law requires the governing boards of these institutions to submit annual performance accountability reports to the Maryland Higher Education Commission. In 1996, the Commission approved a new accountability…