The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was designed in 1997 to support working families by providing affordable, quality health coverage for their children in an efficient, effective, and coordinated way. This report examines the progress made in implementing CHIP nationwide. Information sources included the following: (1) federal…

This 1999-2000 directory provides information on Alaska's public schools, school districts, education organizations, and institutions of higher education. A statistical summary indicates that in 1998-99, Alaska enrolled 132,905 students in 503 public schools. Breakdowns by grade configuration and enrollment show that about half the schools served…

The report presents the Adult Basic Education (ABE) 321/326 California learning progress and goal attainment data for fiscal year 1998-99. Chapter 1 introduces an overview of adult basic education in California and contains information about ABE 321/326 federal programs and the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASES). It discusses…

This report is part of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Educational Technology Cooperative's ongoing study of state educational networks. The current report is based on a study of statewide educational networks in three SREB states during May-September 1998, including a review of published materials obtained from network and agency…

Most U.S. citizens support the elimination of race and gender prejudice and inequality, yet attitudes toward solutions have fluctuated in the years since the civil rights movement began. California, a state that has set precedent for antidiscrimination initiatives since 1934, is now at the center of struggles over affirmative action. The authors…

Multiple measures may mean multiple opportunities to show achievement or the use of multiple assessment formats. A third meaning is the use of assessments from different sources, such as augmenting an external, usually commercial assessment with a state's own assessment. The first two meanings of multiple assessments have been explored…

This publication presents the views expressed by the major speakers at "More Promises to Keep: Sustaining Arizona's Capacity for Welfare and Health Reform," concluding a 3-year study of welfare and health reform in the state. The publication also summarizes the discussions of three special interest sessions. The speakers' op-ed-style…

This booklet, based on school and community experiences in the state of Washington, was written to provide practical strategies to enable teachers and administrators to enrich instruction through service and service learning. Filled with vignettes and examples of service learning that is taking place in Washington schools, the booklet includes…

This study empirically investigated the potential negative effect of item response theory (IRT) model-data misfit on the degree of invariance of: (1) IRT item parameter estimates (item difficulty and discrimination); and (2) IRT person ability parameter estimates. A large-scale statewide assessment program test database was used, for which the…

The advantages and disadvantages of state mandated and locally developed curricula are discussed. State mandates emphasize a measurement philosophy of education in which testing is the name of the game to determine how well students are achieving. One of the advantages of a state mandated curriculum is that the curriculum is aligned with the…

As part of a review of functions and administrative processes, the Illinois Board of Higher Education commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of higher education grant programs. The evaluation focused on the goals defined in the policy document, "The Illinois Commitment," and the extent to which the grant programs are contributing to the…

In Fall 1998, the Maryland State Department of Education and six local school systems started a pilot program to evaluate the impact of serving breakfast to students in the classroom as part of the school day. Students in participating schools have an opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom each day at no charge, regardless of family…

Noting that the child support collection system is an important source of economic support for many Minnesota children and that child support contributes significantly to children's well-being beyond providing financial benefits, this special Kids Count report examines the child support system in Minnesota. The report provides information about…

This document provides guidelines relative to the appropriate administration of and preparation for the State Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program norm-referenced tests in the San Diego City Schools. The STAR tests are norm-referenced tests, and this document is intended to assure that standardized conditions in testing mirror the…

The first complete survey of all state education reports was conducted in 1994. For the 1998 edition, state education staff were asked to identify and update all current state reports that provide accountability for K-12 education or that report on a set of education indicators. As of August, 1998, all states have at least 1 annual accountability…