This article reports that in 1996, Alabama officials approved the "4 x 4" plan, which made their state the first in the country to require students to complete four years, or four credits each, of math and science for high school graduation. Other states have since followed suit, with policymakers arguing that higher standards are…

It has been called many names: Continuous Progress Format, Advancement Based on Competency (ABC), Continuous Progress Schools, and Continuous Progress Education. The idea of "Continuous Progress" refers to academic and developmental growth of students in a multi-age program. Students learn new materials as they are ready, regardless of…

The nature of special education has changed appreciably over the past several decades. As a result, the role of special educators needs to be examined and further developed to provide the most effective education for all learners at-risk and those with high- and low-incidence disabilities. In this article, the authors discuss five important roles…

"Re-forming Gifted Education" (Rogers, 2002) offers "best practices" for gifted students. The book also includes a procedure for developing a child's education plan with a variety of choices. Nevertheless, in recent years, the author has often been asked "how" one can ensure that the "best" matches are made for a child. A parent or teacher may…

In this article, the author profiles Charles Dickens Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, a school that dares to be different from the rest. This elementary school operates on a child-centered, multi-aged framework that is based on belief in an orientation towards continuous progress, appropriate evaluation of progress, schoolwide…

John Wilson School, Innisfail, Alberta, prides itself on being a leader among schools. It was one of the first to put into place a continuous progress system that keeps children in class with their age level but allows for differences in learning rates. Other programs and projects are briefly described. (MT)

Describes a California high school program called Students Exploring, Analyzing, Researching, Caring, and Hoping (SEARCH) that uses teacher-counselors and an individual curriculum. (JM)

Describes a study to determine a nongraded, continuous-progress program's effects on five- and six-year-old students' attitudes toward school, readiness scores, and mastery of subject matter. Results found no statistically significant difference in readiness scores between kindergarten students in traditional classes and those in nongraded…

Reports on a variety of assessment and professional in-service programs being implemented at six K-12 schools in the states of Oklahoma, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Arizona. Describes key program features as well as the processes of program development. (JDI)

Since 1996, 125 Ohio principals have attended the Summit (Ohio) Principal Academy. Participants agree on the urgent need for change, work on personal beliefs and missions, focus on student work tasks, learn inter- and intra-district collaboration, and empower teachers to make decisions. Leadership academies supplement this process. (MLH)

Technical assistance given to facilitate implementation of continuous progress programs in a Georgia elementary school system is discussed in terms of long-range goals for staff development and general objectives for a continuous progress model and its mainstreaming program. (DS)

The article describes four schools that use a continuous progress or nongraded approach to pace gifted elementary students. Article inserts present information on the Richardson Study (a national study of gifted education) and guidelines for developing continuous progress and nongraded models. (SW)

Describes the implementation of the Missouri School Improvement Process in the Springfield School District in Missouri. Suggests that supplementing the outside-school-district evaluators with in-school-district auxiliary evaluators greatly contributed to the success of the outcomes process in Springfield. (JDI)

Continuous progress education is designed to relate to the special interests, needs, and abilities of each individual learner. A curriculum responsive to the needs of early adolescents would include the elements of content organization, learning activities, time allocations, student assessment, staff and materials development, and budget. (JN)

This booklet contains an overview and a sample of some of the curricular materials developed in Jefferson County's Systematic Teaching and Measuring Mathematics (STAMM) program. It provides continuous progress in mathematics, K-12, using management by objectives. Well-defined processes for diagnosis, instructional activities, and assessment are…