Using assessment data to determine student growth has become an integral part of the accountability movement, and researchers and educators are currently examining how new rules impact the academic assessment of gifted learners. In 2008, the Association for the Gifted's Annual Symposium at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention focused on…

Today, more than ever, teachers must work effectively and efficiently to meet seemingly contradictory demands placed on them by society. On the one hand, school personnel are tasked with attaining and publicly reporting high levels of student achievement in response to No Child Left Behind. On the other, school personnel must ensure that students…

Educators today are challenged with the task of designing curricula and standards for students of varying abilities. While technology and innovation steadily improve classroom learning, teachers and administrators continue to struggle in developing the best methodologies and practices for students with disabilities. "Models for Effective…

This guide is designed as a reference for District and School personnel working with English learners (ELs). The content of the guide represents a compilation of information, examples, and resources. This guide is a living document and subject to frequent updates. It is recommended to review the document online rather than printing a hard copy.

The purpose of this "Handbook" is to bolster the effective implementation of the intervention models and strategies outlined in the "2010 School Improvement Grant" (SIG) program--section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)--in order to achieve the program's clear goal--rapid improvement of persistently…

The purpose of this guide is to help chronically struggling schools restructure. "Restructuring" means major, rapid changes that affect how a school is led and how instruction is delivered. Restructuring is essential in achieving rapid improvements in student learning. The focus is on helping education leaders choose strategies that…

This booklet is one in a series of "hot topics" reports produced twice a year by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. These reports briefly address current educational concerns and issues as indicated by requests for information that come to the Laboratory from the Northwest region and beyond. Each booklet contains a discussion…

Background: Accountability demands are increasingly pushing school leaders to explore more data and do more sophisticated analyses. Data-driven decision making (DDDM) has become an emerging field of practice for school leadership and a central focus of education policy and practice. Purpose: This study examined principals' DDDM practices and…

More than ever, policymakers and educators are searching for practices that will improve performance often for large numbers of students. This guide is designed to help by providing a snapshot of five different approaches to systemwide improvement developed by the National Forum on Accountability. The models are based on principles that support…

Title III of the National Defense Education Act of 1958 authorized a program of financial assistance of State educational agencies for projects of local educational agencies for the acquisition of laboratory or other special equipment needed in the teaching of modern foreign languages and for minor remodeling of laboratory or other space to be…

This report presents samples of models and strategies for determining professional development needs of special education personnel. The following areas are covered: definitions of needs and the needs assessment process; personnel needs assessment regulations under the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development, the Individuals with…

As learning-disabled high-school graduates apply for and enter postsecondary schools in increasing numbers, college administrators and staff must make program changes and adjustments to accommodate these students. This literature review examines the state of the art of services being provided to learning-disabled students within junior colleges,…

This resource manual is intended to assist correctional agencies in developing or upgrading educational and support services for adult inmates with retardation or learning disabilities. Following an introductory section, section 2 summarizes definitions and symptoms of mental retardation and learning disabilities, identifies their incidence among…

This guide for administrators provides a step-by-step process for establishing new or revised policies to deal with student misuse of alcohol and other drugs on college campuses. Emphasis is on a new doctrine of environmental management which stresses the school's responsibility to take measures against foreseeable hazards and risks in the school…

This guide is intended to serve as a reference and procedural tool for use by state and local decision makers in guiding existing and future public education-based job placement efforts in Michigan. The first section gives an overview of job placement in Michigan public education and the rationale for public education-based job placement; it also…