This program assessment instrument was developed for use by educators and community representatives in evaluating secondary school reading programs and in establishing program goals. Using a rating scale of (1) not started, (2) started/little progress, (3) some progress, (4) almost achieved, and (5) achieved, the instrument covers the following…

The Attitudes toward Bilingual Education scale was shown to be valid with respect to its ability to discriminate between proponents of bilingual education and a general population. (The 23-item scale is included). (Author/GDC)

This study, which updates a report prepared by the Commission in 2000, examines the capacity of teacher preparation programs at Maryland colleges and universities to increase their production of new teachers. The study analyzes both the supply and demand aspects of the capacity issue in Maryland. On the supply side, it looks at the intended majors…

This brief paper offers an inventory to help implement change strategies and achieve person-centered planning for people with severe disabilities. The inventory is intended to examine use of 12 resources that facilitate change and increase the chance of good outcomes. A visual display of the model on which the inventory is based is provided first.…

The Teacher Quality Toolkit addresses the continuum of teacher learning by providing tools that can be used to improve both preservice, and inservice teacher education. Each chapter provides self assessment tools that can guide progress toward improved teacher quality and describes resources for designing exemplary programs and practices. Chapters…

This report describes a districtwide evaluation of the instructional services provided to English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Structured English Immersion classrooms in grades 1-3. The program uses two models (teaching in English, with the primary language for clarification, and teaching primarily in English, with other instruction in the…

Over the past decade, the standards-based reform movement in education has focused attention on the responsibility of schools and school systems to produce results in student learning. Nationally this focus is most evident with the implementation of accountability provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. However, even…

The Interdisciplinary Teamed Instruction (ITI) Project was a 2-year project aimed at determining the effects of ITI on teaching and learning and at validating the effectiveness of a professional development model to facilitate development, implementation, and evaluation of ITI. Through summer institutes and onsite workshops, project staff provided…

This pilot project was designed as a collaborative effort to serve substance abusing women and their young children. The goals were to improve the health and welfare of these families by early identification of pregnant substance abusers; improve access to and coordination of health care services and chemical dependency treatment; and provide…

An evaluation was conducted of the service-learning-based Community Connection program at Baker Middle School in south Texas to determine whether the program is having an impact on student achievement, attendance, perception toward self, school, and community. Data were collected through a survey of a sample of 120 students from the target…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA mathematics assessment. Following an overview of the PSSA, the second chapter focuses on the development and scoring of the mathematics assessment. Administering the assessment…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA writing assessment, which was designed to measure individual student performance and to influence instruction. The guide contains a chart of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards…

This Preschool Parent Survey was designed to gather information on parents' perceptions of the Detroit Public School (DPS) preschool program and to assess the child care needs of parents of the district's preschool students. The 18-item questionnaire was mailed to the homes of 2,000 families in Detroit. Of the 2,000 surveys, 640 were completed and…

An effort to build a curricular framework for doctoral study at the University of Texas-Pan American, using themes and standards proposed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and others, is described. A small faculty group undertook to simultaneously develop a curricular sequence of course topics while initiating a new doctoral program…

This report, authorized by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, contains information on the School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children (SMI), a reform of school-meals programs aimed at upgrading the nutritional content of school meals. The purpose of the study was to describe and evaluate: (1) overall…