The latest contribution to the content standards boom that began in the 1990s comes from the American Psychological Association (APA), which recently published "National Standards for the Teaching of High School Psychology." This Digest discusses: (1) the origin and purposes of the project to develop standards for high school psychology…

Doubts and misgivings have resulted from the rapid growth and diversity of experiential programs and the use of experiential learning assessment as a recruiting and marketing device. The Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL) is the body examining what is being done about setting standards for the assessment of experiential…

This ERIC Digest discusses "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994." The standards specify what students in U.S. schools should learn and be able to do with regard to geography. There are six essential elements of geography into which 18 standards are grouped: (1) the world in spatial terms; (2) places and regions; (3)…

This digest in Spanish offers a snapshot of the standards movement: its origins, the definitions of standards and which ones matter, its successes at the district and state levels, the backlash against the movement, and possible policy directions. While a broad coalition of constituencies has embraced standards-based reform as a means of improving…

Accreditation of teacher education programs and licensing and certification of teachers are interrelated but distinct processes that can easily be confused. This Digest seeks to clarify the three processes and identify the primary national organizations involved in these areas. Accreditation is an evaluation process that determines the quality of…

This ERIC Digest identifies how the human genome project fits into the "National Science Education Standards" and lists Human Genome Project Web sites found on the World Wide Web. It is a resource companion to "Learning about the Human Genome. Part 1: Challenge to Science Educators" (Haury 2001). The Web resources and…

The purpose of this digest is to review various interpretations of balanced reading instruction and to explore the relationship between this instructional approach to beginning reading and state reading standards. Sections of the digest address what balanced reading is, offer examples from classroom practice, and discuss reading instruction and…

This digest offers a snapshot of the standards movement: its origins, the definitions of standards and which ones matter, its successes at the district and state levels, the backlash against the movement, and possible policy directions. While a broad coalition of constituencies has embraced standards-based reform as a means of improving public…

This digest presents a case for the development of a precise definition of environmental literacy (EL) as a prerequisite to setting standards for environmental education. The discussion includes the following: (1) establishment of the relationship between EL, environmental education, and goals of the formal education system; (2) the development of…

The digest is based on a full length report on academics and athletics in higher education. The full report provides a definitive review of the literature and institutional practice on the topic. Three sections consider: (1) business and politics of college sports (e.g. most budgets for athletics programs show signs of precarious fiscal fitness,…

This digest provides an overview of the concept of alignment and the role it plays in assessment and accountability systems. It also discusses methodological issues affecting the study of alignment and explores the relationship between alignment and test score interpretation. Alignment refers to the degree of match between test content and subject…

All 50 states are moving toward accountability systems that involve setting clear standards of learning, assessing student progress on those standards, and providing a variety of incentives and sanctions for performance. Many educators remain profoundly ambivalent; however, they recognize opportunities for positive change but worry that a narrow…

This annotated bibliography presents information related to content standards for adult learners of English as a Second Language (ESL), suggesting documents that adult ESL professionals can consult as they peruse the issues of standards and accountability in adult ESL education. The bibliography defines content standards as what students should…

A recent report, "Educating Democracy: State Standards to Ensure a Civic Core," was issued by the Albert Shanker Institute of the American Federation of Teachers. This report comparatively analyzes and evaluates the standards for the teaching and learning of civics which state-level departments of education in the United States have…

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is a specialized accrediting body created by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its membership divisions to provide a nationally based standards review process for the counseling profession's graduate level preparation programs. Accreditation of…