There are many promising psychological interventions on the horizon, but there is no clear methodology for preparing them to be scaled up. Drawing on design thinking, the present research formalizes a methodology for redesigning and tailoring initial interventions. We test the methodology using the case of fixed versus growth mindsets during the…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Organizing for Learning Improvement: What It Takes (Andrea M. Pope and Keston H. Fulcher); (2) Editor's Notes: The Leadership Imperatives for Assessment Excellence -- Imperative #2, Attracting and Retaining Talent to Support Assessment Excellence (Stephen P. Hundley);…

The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) has been serving the career and technical education (CTE) community for almost 45 years. It is in the unique position to produce longitudinal data that indicates technical competence levels based on end-of-program testing across the country. NOCTI's data confirms that CTE is indeed…

In our session, we showcase work from a researcher-practitioner partnership between James Madison University, the University of Virginia, and Harrisonburg City Public Schools that is focused on developing a continuous improvement process to translate social-psychological interventions into teaching practices that enhance motivation and learning.…

In the 2004-05 school year, at a time of nationwide debate regarding the rigor of the high school diploma and the value of school-to-work programs, Chesapeake Public Schools (CPS) conducted an evaluation of the preparation of their students for the job market. The results of the evaluation did not substantiate widespread concern that the high…

This review examined the evaluation components from 10 awarded state improvement grants designed to improve systems providing services for students with disabilities. The review examined the following aspects of the evaluation components: purposes, conceptual framework for the evaluation and systems reform, evaluation design and approaches,…

A study was conducted to examine federally assisted employment and training programs in the Tidewater, Virginia, area during fiscal year 1977. The General Accounting Office found forty-four programs with similar goals attempting to assist virtually the same people. These were authorized through sixteen separate legislative authorities, creating a…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Virginia edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

The emphasis of a formative evaluation research study was on identifying exemplary linkage arrangements between the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) and education service providers in Virginia. The study had two primary phases: the case study phase (an exploratory and issue-generating process) and the judicial evaluation model--JEM…

This 1982-83 annual report on vocational education in Virginia is organized under four major categories: (1) recommendations for improving the state's vocational education programs, services, and activities; (2) extent to which Council recommendations have received consideration; (3) review of the vocational education annual program plan…

This monograph offers an in-depth look at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) efforts, an investment of more than $140 million to reform mathematics and science programs in rural K-12 public education and tribal education. The authors seek to promote a foundation of contextual understanding for improving public…

A survey was taken of industrial arts students, parents, teachers, and administrators in Virginia to determine how they perceived secondary industrial arts programs and objectives. Researchers administered a questionnaire to a sample of 32 middle schools and 25 senior high schools over a spectrum of urban, suburban, and rural areas. A total of 883…

The Accelerated Reader program from Renaissance Learning Inc. is a popular program implemented in elementary and middle schools across the country that encourages students to read and monitors their progress in the program. Despite its widespread use and popularity, there have been some questions about the program's effectiveness at increasing…

This 1983-84 annual report on vocational education in Virginia is organized under four major categories: (1) recommendations for improving the state's vocational education programs, services, and activities; (2) the extent to which previous recommendations have received consideration; (3) review of the vocational education annual program plan…

A longitudinal study examined adult basic education (ABE) in Virginia between 1970 and 1985. (The first study was conducted in 1970, the second in 1978, and the third in 1985.) Data for the 1985 study were collected from survey instruments mailed to all state department ABE personnel, local ABE supervisors, learning center coordinators, and ABE…