The National Postsecondary Education Cooperative has sponsored two working groups on student outcomes, one exploring the issue from a policy perspective and the other, from a data perspective. This report presents the results of the data perspective case studies, discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the "state of the art" in student…

Alternative education programs for disruptive and at-risk students in Pennsylvania were studied to determine the characteristics that make such programs successful. This report presents the results of the analysis and lists model programs and other operating programs in Pennsylvania. Suspension and expulsion are stopgap solutions that relieve the…

The Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) in Texas attempts to improve schooling for students in at-risk situations. Rather than lowering expectations for these learners, the ASP attempts to accelerate progress by maximizing their talent development. The accelerated schools movement in Texas spread rapidly, but few actual data have been collected…

This paper presents thoughts resulting from review of proposals by state developmental disabilities authorities, submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that were designs for change initiatives in self-determination systems. These reflections on the use of service money and the provision of supports to people with developmental…

This document discusses educational assessment and accountability in current educational reform efforts and the implications for students with disabilities. A preface addresses common educational reforms, new laws promoting education reform, and how today's reforms fit with special education. The paper then describes three types of assessment:…

This case study, part of the State Structures for the Governance of Higher Education study, focuses on governance and related issues in Illinois' higher education system. The study's overall purpose was to examine differences among states in their governance structures, and to determine if differences in performance were related to governing…

To determine how best to connect public work force services in Texas with employers' needs, a study reviewed literature on employer involvement in government-sponsored training programs. Study activities included the following: review of findings from two recent national surveys on employer training, identification of states most strongly…

This report describes how assessments are scored and results are reported in the inclusive assessment and accountability systems in Maryland and Kentucky. Specific topics include: (1) how school performance is reported to the public; (2) what components go into the reported performance of schools; (3) how scores are obtained for students in the…

An analysis was conducted of the Alaska Student Loan Program (ASLP), especially as it was used for borrowing for short-term training at vocational schools. An immediate effect of the ASLP program was a rapid increase in the number of postsecondary institutions (primarily vocational schools); the peak number of borrowers was reached in 1985, and…

When the new government of the Australian state of Victoria was elected in 1992, it began the most radical change to an education system in the history of the country, introducing the Schools of the Future initiative. The underlying rationale, which has its roots in 20 years of experience in Victoria, is that quality outcomes of schooling can only…

Career pathways align vocational and academic education within career clusters and provide students new options from grades 9-14. They must have the following elements: industry breadth and depth; opportunities for many populations; career options at entry, technical, and professional levels; and alternative delivery options and academic and…

This is the 17th year of statewide student testing under the Arizona Student Achievement Program. To fulfill the requirements of Arizona law, a nationally standardized, norm-referenced achievement test in the subjects of reading, language, and mathematics must be adopted and implemented for Arizona schools. For the 1996-97 school year, the State…

The School-Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) of the Iowa Department of Education has just completed its seventh year of operation. This report focuses on the 1995-96 school year, which was the second year of the expanded SBYSP, which went from its original 4 sites to 18. These sites include rural and urban areas, and some of the poorest areas…

This study examined the role of subcontractors and consultants in California's Employment Training Panel (ETP) program. Methods included interviews, focus groups, a phone survey, and a survey of projects without subcontractors. Results indicated that the market in which administrative and training consultants sell their services to employers is…

This report examines issues concerning the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities participating in state and district assessments. The report considers what an accommodation is, what kinds of accommodations are available, who should make the decision regarding accommodations, when accommodations should be used, and how…