Prior research has found the transition to high school to be a critical time for ninth-grade students. This mixed-methodology study investigated the experiences of a school-based team that provided programming and various support to ninth-grade students using the teaming model. The study utilized the following methods: 1) interviews, 2) historical…

Purpose: Public schools in Washington State have a growing and increasingly diverse English Learner (EL) student population that is subject to the standards and accountability outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). For high school ELs in particular, academic standards and their corresponding assessments, along with the necessary task of…

In August, IES worked with the National Science Foundation and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to convene a technical working group to discuss research objectives related to college- and career-ready standards in English language arts and mathematics. Forty people (including researchers,…

This paper analyzes the influence of three different learning paradigms for learning literacy--formalist, cognitive-processing, and literacy practices--on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. It argues that the Common Core State Standards are based largely on a formalist paradigm as evident in the emphasis on teaching text…

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the process of meeting a new state mandate for sexuality education programs at the local school system level. Curriculum coordinators (N=126) responsible for meeting the 1988 Georgia state mandate for sexuality education completed a survey instrument assessing the local school system process in…

This paper reports the creation, implementation, and discontinuation of a standards based spelling assessment program in Anchorage, Alaska. The program was initiated by the Anchorage school board as part of establishing district-wide performance goals for students in 1998-1999. Spelling was singled out for attention because of national discussions…

To explicate the factors behind standards implementation, the results of a project to develop and pilot test a process that bridges the gap between setting standards and improving student achievement is presented. The text focuses on the Implementing Academic Standards (IAS) program, which was designed to develop and pilot-test a process for…

Recent research indicates that 48 of the 50 states have school curricula frameworks that contain one or more elements that call for some form of media literacy education. Such findings indicate that media literacy is slowly becoming an integral part of school curricula. However, full adoption of media literacy programs has yet to occur.…

Implementation of competency-based education in Virginia career exploration and preparation programs has served as the basis for establishment of a paradigm for statewide implementation. Competency-based education in Virginia is defined as educational programs with required knowledges, skills, and attitudes based on role-relevant competencies and…

Colorado's Public School Finance Act of 1988 directed all public school districts to implement state goals for improving achievement, graduation, and attendance rates. Districts and individual schools were required to develop accountability committees involving parents, staff, students, and community members in planning and evaluating school and…

This study examined the implementation of standards-based reforms in urban schools with high concentrations of low-income students, highlighting the influence of state policy on the development and implementation of school standards. Researchers examined the type of state policy three school districts were exposed to, level of teachers' awareness…

A discussion of the implementation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) second language proficiency guidelines in Florida's public schools and colleges includes a brief review of literature about the guidelines, background information on the oral proficiency movement, and a description of the effects of the movement…

Rather than abandon bilingual education programs that have not met expectations, there is a need to assess implementation procedures in bilingual programs to determine whether or not they foster success or failure. Areas to be examined for insights and improvement include: (1) present policies concerning the goal of bilingual education and current…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) demands from the American public school system that all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, must be held to the same academic expectations, and that their academic progress must be measured using a newly refined concept of adequate yearly progress (AYP). Success in complying with the…

Maryland is one of the states which recently developed new requirements for high school graduation. A preliminary evaluation of these new state standards has raised a number of issues about graduation standards and their assessment. The Maryland State Department of Education examined statewide policies and guidelines for high schools between 1982…