Test-only placement systems are associated with inaccurate placement determinations that can perpetuate college achievement gaps by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In response to the pitfalls of traditional, test-only placement systems, colleges across the country are increasingly experimenting with and adopting alternative…

With increasing numbers of students receiving gifted services every year, it is more important than ever to make certain we are meeting their unique learning needs in the classroom. Differentiated instruction for these learners must go beyond adjusting content levels, task complexity, or product choice--it must truly challenge and support learners…

Many states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which emphasize "deeper learning" skills, such as mastery of core academic content, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. But can the new tests being developed to align with the CCSS be used to promote deeper learning and high-quality classroom instruction?…

The Hewlett Foundation commissioned RAND to review research about the effects of assessment and to summarize what is known about assessment as a lever for reform. To explore the likely influence of new assessments on teaching practice and the conditions that moderate that relationship, researchers conducted a series of literature reviews. The…

The curriculum deliberations of 3 fourth-grade teachers who met weekly to plan their lessons were explored in this qualitative case study. These teachers participated voluntarily and routinely produced viable plans for the coming week. With their planning meetings recorded and transcribed, the resulting transcripts were analyzed using Schwab's…

The purpose of this document is to highlight "what works" based on the curriculum development and research work of the Center for Gifted Education during the past 20 years. Areas of study include curriculum development, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Through the use of the Integrated Curriculum Model as a template for …

This handbook is designed to guide middle school teachers, principals, and curriculum leaders through the mathematics curriculum selection process, helping them choose and use curricula that promote high standards of student achievement. A set of questions for curriculum decision making is posed that corresponds to a framework focused on three…

To improve basic skills in a New Jersey school district, Outcome-Based Education was introduced. Six years later, students' basic skills scores have risen above the national norms. (MD)

This book is designed to help educators move from a system that measures students against students to one that values mastery of central concepts and skills, striving for proficiency in publicly acknowledged standards of academic performance. It aims to connect the operative parts of standards-based education (standards, assessment, curriculum,…

This document is designed to show the connection among several initiatives of the Florida legislature in calling for changes to bring about reform at the school level and improvement in the delivery of social studies instruction at the classroom level. The document provides a picture of how this program of study can meet the goals of the Florida…

Argues that measurement-driven instruction is the most cost-effective way to improve the quality of public education when high stakes tests are properly conceived and implemented. Discusses five criteria, analyzes critics' objections, and cites evidence of student improvement in seven states. Includes one table and three references. (MLH)

Educational leadership, curriculum development, and staff development are critical areas that need improvement for long-term educational gains. (MD)

This Guide is intended to share the insights of SEDL's National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning (the National Partnership) as well as information about both the academic and the organizational and management practices that successful afterschool programs use. The authors have organized these practices into the following four focus…

A school's academic performance can be bolstered through instituting modest programs that don't require drastic institutional changes. Describes some simple program changes that were effective in a Utah middle school.(MD)

Describes a program developed at Franklin Park Elementary School (Florida) that altered the school environment and introduced characteristics that are known to improve learning. The school had ranked near the bottom of the district's schools in student achievement, but at the end of the first year of the program, student achievement scores rose…