Since the passage of No Child Left Behind, large-scale assessments have come to play a central role in federal and state education accountability systems. Teachers and parents have expressed a number of concerns about their state testing programs, such as too much time devoted to testing and the high-stakes use of testing for teacher evaluation.…

This report highlights the findings of the sixteenth survey of states conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO). It has been administered for more than three decades to collect information from states about the participation and performance of students with disabilities in the assessments that comprise the comprehensive…

To remain internationally competitive, states needed clearer, higher, and comparable K-12 learning standards aligned with college and career expectations, and as ambitious as those of the countries that lead the world in education. Idaho's old academic standards were not preparing students for postsecondary education, which contributed to the…

New York is poised to take an important step to improve student achievement by expanding learning time for students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. Recent district- and state-level investments in expanded learning time--a promising strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps--will give students more time to learn core…

This project was a response to the changes in the Washington State math assessments for high school students. The creation of an exit exam for Washington State high school students and the expectation that they pass it to graduate has placed tremendous pressure on high schools that struggled with low passing rates on the Washington State math…

This case study shows how testing in Mississippi is used as an effective part of a statewide accountability and instructional improvement program. By using criterion-referenced testing as one aspect of a program evaluation requirement, Mississippi is basing instructional improvement on student performance. (Author)

The following profiles address how the state departments of education are helping educators prepare for and implement their states' new college- and career-readiness standards and aligned assessments, through professional learning. SREB researchers examined each state's major professional development efforts around its new standards in order to…

This paper: (1) discusses why science and mathematics education are important; (2) outlines why a comprehensive improvement program is necessary; and (3) describes how North Carolina is attempting to improve science and mathematics education as related to teacher supply and quality, student enrollment and performance, curriculum and instructional…

Maryland public schools continue to pick up honors and receive recognition for the work going on in their classrooms. For the second straight year, Maryland's education system has been ranked as number one in the nation by "Education Week", the nation's leading education publication. The "College Board" followed that up by…

A 3-year evaluation was conducted of the New York State Community Schools Program (CSP) in New York City Public Schools. The goals of the CSP include better, more developmental, challenging, and enriched curricula and more time on task, leading to improved academic outcomes for children in Community Schools. The goals also include school-site…

The integrated approach to facilitating student achievement undertaken by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) is described. The goal of SEDL's Programmatic Theme on Facilitating Student Achievement is to contribute to the improvement of programs and activities in the Southwestern Region for teaching reading, writing, and…

The New Hampshire statewide testing program was implemented to provide a data base for the evaluation of the effectiveness of Title I projects as required by Federal law. To accomplish this objective, achievement and intelligence tests were administered to children in Title I projects and regular programs in four elementary grades--2, 4, 6 and 8.…

In response to the recommendations of the New Jersey Special Education Study Commission and input from parents, educators, and the general public, the New Jersey Department of Education's Division of Special Education developed "A Plan To Revise Special Education in New Jersey" (1986), commonly called P2R. P2R calls for changes in the…

This report summarizes the 1991-92 State Performance Reports for the Chapter 1 Local Education Agency (LEA) program and the Chapter 1 State Agency Neglected or Delinquent Program. As the largest single investment in elementary and secondary education by the Federal government, Chapter 1 provides funding to about 90 percent of school districts…

The New Hampshire Vocational Program Evaluation System (VPES) is designed to: (1) provide program improvement information; (2) provide information on local program effectiveness to aid in designing improvements; and (3) aid in complying with 1976 federal vocational education legislation. The evaluation system is divided into two components:…