This class action suit by Massachusetts public school students challenges the nature of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam and its use as a graduation requirement. Public school students must pass this high stakes test in order to receive a high school diploma as of 2003. The plaintiffs are public school students in the…

The intent of this chapter is to emphasize the student evaluation aspect over other legal principles. Several cases illustrate that courts will interfere with school boards' authority to determine placement of pupils only when a violation of constitutional or statutory rights of a student occurs. In the matter of sanctions against students that…

On April 7, 1982, the Connecticut State Board of Education passed a resolution commending the work of the Professional Development Council and approving the recommendations contained in the report, "Recommendations for Ensuring Professional Competence." Pursuant to three recommendations from this report, an advisory committee was…

The Council of Chief State School Officers has established a system of state and national indicators for the condition of science and mathematics education. This policies report is based on a survey of all state departments of education conducted in the 1991-1992 school year. An introductory section provides the rationale and background for…