Information gained from program evaluation for Reading Recovery (RR) in Maine is used to continually improve implementation of the program, as well as to generate additional evaluation questions. This report summarizes statewide findings about the program based on data from the 1995-96 school year. The report is organized topically into brief…

This report contains a compendium of the opinions and concerns of a task force that researched current conditions that affect court-involved youth and identifies the most promising strategies for connecting court-involved youth to the labor market. The report includes three introductory chapters, four chapters related to task force discussion…

This booklet is designed to help parents and community members answer questions about assessment in the context of the Vermont Framework of Standards, the Equal Education Opportunity Act of 1997, and other statewide initiatives. Assessment is changing in Vermont in response to new legislative mandates that call for standards-based assessment…

This report from a California task force provides recommendations to improve the quality of education for the approximately 11,000 students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in California. It begins by discussing the educational barriers faced by students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, including the significance of regional programs and then…

In this answer booklet, students record their answers to the practice test items for the Ohio Proficiency Tests for grade 6. The practice tests represent the subject tests for writing, reading, mathematics, citizenship, and science. The writing tests allow space for essays based on writing prompts. The items from the other tests are in…

This booklet contains the practice tests for the fourth-grade Ohio Proficiency Tests. The work students do on these tests helps the teacher know how well the student understands the subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, citizenship, and science. The writing test consists of two writing tasks. The other tests are made up of multiple choice,…

The Florida Writing Assessment was implemented in grades 4, 8, and 10 in 1998 as required by the Florida legislature. The assessment is designed to measure students' proficiency in writing responses to assigned topics within a designated testing period. This report contains writing assessment results for the whole state, school districts, and…

The Florida Writing Assessment was implemented in grades 4, 8, and 10 in 1998 as required by the Florida legislature. The assessment is designed to measure students' proficiency in writing responses to assigned topics within a designated testing period. This report contains writing assessment results for the whole state, school districts, and…

These two issues address topics related to state and federal public policy concerning child care. Issue 19 focuses on how various federal agencies work with the Child Care Bureau to strengthen and support child care services across the country. The issue includes articles describing initiatives of the Departments of Transportation, Labor,…

This newsletter is devoted to identifying and promoting strategies to reduce the young child poverty rate and to improve the life chances of young children living in poverty. The Spring 1998 issue includes articles on state investments to enhance the well-being of young children and families, and child poverty rates in a booming U.S. economy. The…

This report states that 21 South Carolina school districts are currently implementing "character education" through the Federal Partnerships in Character Education Grant and that in this, the second year of the grant, 17 district applications were selected to receive subgrant awards from the 21 that applied in December 1997. The report…

South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) assesses basic skills in reading, mathematics, writing, and science for grades 3, 6, 8, and 10 (exit examination). In 1998, the tests were administered statewide in April. This report provides 3 years of data on percentages of students meeting state standards. The data are reported by…

The purpose of this reading sampler is to familiarize Delaware teachers and students with the reading comprehension portion of the Delaware Student Testing Program. Included is information about the reading tests for grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. This sampler contains the following examples for each grade level: a reading passage; a multiple choice…

The Project on State-Level Child Outcomes was initiated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to examine the effects on children of waiver policies related to state welfare reform efforts prior to the passage of federal welfare reform legislation. This report details the project's examination of child well-being in the context of…

In 2004, nearly 30,000 students were included in the blind or visually impaired (B/VI) category (approximately .04% of the total public school population). This figure, however, only includes children and youth for whom blindness or visual impairment is identified as a primary disability. States indicate that these numbers may actually double or…