Whether to adopt national standards and tests has long been a subject of lively debate in the United States. With 47 states now participating in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, and a commitment from Education Secretary Arne Duncan to allocate hundreds of millions in stimulus funds to the development of common tests, the country is…

On the instruction of the Council of Ontario Universities, the Advisory Committee on Academic Planning has conducted a planning assessment for planning and environmental studies. Following observations and recommendations by the Committee, the consultants' report is presented in two parts--planning and environmental studies. The planning segment…

In 2001, Canada's Alberta Learning embarked on development of a new provincial high school social studies program by conducting a province-wide needs assessment survey. Its purpose was to gather data, input, and suggestions to guide curriculum developers in the development of the new program. A needs assessment questionnaire was the primary tool…

Consisting of five sections, this paper presents the policy of the British Columbia (Canada) Ministry of Education regarding the organization of educational services for students through provincial curriculum and assessment programs. It also provides guidance to school and district personnel as they carry out their responsibilities to interpret…

A program review model that can be used at the system level in the Simcoe County in Ontario (Canada) schools is presented. Program review is a process of systematically marshalling information so as to enable individuals to critically debate a specific program and eventually make more informed decisions about the program. A variety of conceptual…

Development of a comprehensive indicators program will enable evaluation of the effectiveness of educational reform in Saskatchewan (Canada). Pilot projects in three school districts representing large urban, small urban, and rural settings began during the 1992-93 school year and the first annual provincial indicators report was issued in 1994.…

An executive summary is presented of the study on school programs for Alberta natives (Metis, status and non-status Indians) sponsored by the Curriculum Policies Committee, which advises the Alberta Minister of Education on matters relating to the curricula used in provincial schools. The summary briefly describes the study's terms of reference,…

Sponsored by the Curriculum Policies Committee, which advises the Alberta Minister of Education on matters relating to the curricula used in provincial schools, the study of school programs for Alberta natives (Metis, status and non-status Indians) was intended to discuss whether there should be special educational programs for these students. The…

This document reports on a study designed (1) to develop a plan for school improvement using information obtained from an attitude survey, (2) to examine the implementation of the plan, and (3) to evaluate the results to determine if improvements had occurred. Attitude surveys were conducted of students, parents, supporters, and staff in the…

This document, in French, presents the Alberta Standards for Special Education, which are effective in September 2003 and require school boards to effectively identify and deliver programs for students with special needs in grades 1-12. Emphasis is on consistent and enhanced educational practice within the Canadian province so that students with…

Design implementation and classroom instruction of the Alberta, Canada, social studies curriculum master plan are assessed in this report. The objective of the study was to synthesize findings of investigative activities into a set of general conclusions from which recommendations could be developed. It was concluded that internal inconsistencies…

This summary report assesses the design implementation and classroom instruction of the Alberta, Canada, social studies curriculum. The purpose of the study was to present a synthesis of findings from five investigative activities undertaken by a research association in Alberta: (1) review of the background of the program, (2) critiques of the…

This booklet, the fourth in a series of four volumes on the Designing a Curriculum (Dacum) process, is intended to assist instructors and trainers in examining some of the issues involved in translating a Dacum chart and curriculum objectives into an instructional program. Discussed first are various points of view as to where program development…

Work-based education (WBE), including traditional vocational education and other career-focused programs, was an important curricular component in American schools for most of the 20th century. The 1990s was a period of substantial change for work-based education (WBE). Spurred on by a concern about the international competitiveness of the…