Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

Site visits to five correctional institutions in Wisconsin were conducted as part of the development of an evaluation model for the competency-based vocational education (CBVE) project for the Wisconsin Correctional System. The evaluators' perceptions of the CBVE system are presented with recommendations for improvement. Site visits were conducted…

A study determined the effects of California's competency-based adult education (CBAE) mandate on the functioning of adult basic education programs. It investigated how Section 306 agency personnel interpreted the CBAE manadate and effects of the mandate on agency management, classroom functioning, and student outcomes. Quantitative and…

In fall 1992, the Iowa Department of Education began pilot tests of the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS), an assessment system evaluating reading, math, and problem solving in a life skills context for adult remedial programs. This document provides reports from the nine community colleges that served as test sites, describing…

This study of competency-based vocational education (CBVE) in Pennsylvania was guided by evaluation questions in eight areas: overall, current status of CBVE; implementation of the state Bureau of Vocational Education's (BVE) model of CBVE; characteristics of other CBVE models implemented in Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Department of Education…

This report provides direction for assessment policy and practice in employability and work force education and training programs serving youth and adult learners in Iowa. It provides a research base for the consideration of common assessment instruments for youth and adult learners in these programs. The report first identifies existing…

In North Dakota, a statewide assessment was made of compliance with Public Law 101-392 (the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act) through questionnaires completed by 171 secondary school administrators (representing 77 percent of the 211 secondary schools in North Dakota), in 1991. The assessment showed that secondary…

This publication reports on the general condition of K-12 education in the state of Colorado. It summarizes current efforts to restructure the educational system based on student and national goals, and provides information on Colorado's educational performance, school district personnel, and major state programs. Section 1 describes the need for…

To overcome various reporting constraints, numerous strategies have been developed to facilitate accurate and timely reporting of data concerning the impact of Louisiana's State-Funded Compensatory/Remedial Program. These strategies include: (1) using existing statewide communication networks; (2) employing the Basic Skills Test (BST) as the major…

Discussed and compared are mathematics competencies as prescribed in grades 1-6 for seven state and local school districts utilizing the descriptive method characteristic of the Competency Based Education (CBE) movement. General comments on the historical background of the minimum competency trend and its distinguishing characteristics in various…

This report on the state level use and application of the 1971-1977 Adult Performance Level (APL) study contains two reports: "Competencies for Adult Basic Education and Diploma Programs: A Summary of Studies and Cross-Reference of Results." by Joan Keller Fischer and "The APL Study: Science, Dissemination, and the Nature of Adult…

This report recommends measures to improve elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education in Iowa while providing universal access to education. The proposal stresses unified goals throughout the state's educational system, while retaining local discretion over curriculum. Although the report emphasizes high school-to-college articulation, it…

State-mandated student testing in Ohio is a combination of three different initiatives: (1) competency-based education (CBE) assessment; (2) achievement and ability testing; and (3) proficiency testing. This report describes the current testing requirements and some of the characteristics of each of these types of assessment. CBE assessment was…

This report highlights the Washington State work force training system's initiatives from July 1995 to June 1996 in the following areas: Performance Management and Accountability, School-to-Work Transition, competency-based education, linking training with economic development, public awareness, and one-stop career center system/collection of…

Three evaluations analyzed program characteristics and participant results in work force education and coordination in Washington State. The Employment Security Department's evaluation of Job Training Partnership Act Titles II and III looked for an association between participant characteristics and the type of training they receive and between…