Combination classes are often created out of financial necessity rather than a desire to engage students in multiage learning. Teachers assigned to these classrooms come from the general teaching pool and may not have specialized training around the intricacies of multiage teaching. A review of the literature indicates that the United States has a…

Whether changes mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) influenced eligible teachers to make the choice to retire was studied through a questionnaire completed by 70 former primary-level teachers. Fifty-two indicated that KERA had influenced their decisions, with philosophical disagreement with program components the reason most often…

This paper discusses three issues relating to teacher certification in Kentucky. These issues are: (1) certification of teachers who work with children under the age of 6 years; (2) preparation of teachers for primary education; and (3) alternative certification. The first issue raises questions of whether Kentucky should require certification for…

This study investigated beginning teachers' perceptions of, preparation for, agreement with, and implementation of Primary School Programs (PSP), one segment of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). In 1993, surveys were mailed to 630 first year primary teachers in Kentucky. The surveys asked about 15 critical attributes of PSP identified by…

Surveyed reactions of experienced primary teachers to the educational changes mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and whether these changes affected teacher retirement decisions. Responses indicated concern over the primary school program components of multiage grouping, no retention/no promotion, and increased mainstreaming. KERA…

This paper describes Morehead State University's support of the Kentucky Education Reform Act through mini-grants to public school teachers to help them implement state reform mandates and guidelines in the classroom through in-school action research projects. Morehead State University funded 18 mini-grants to 14 different schools in 11 different…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 has given educators the authority as well as the responsibility for improving educational practices within their schools. A study group of five Kentucky teachers assisted by the Kentucky Education Association and the Appalachia Educational Laboratory was formed to research the extent and uses of…

This empirical study was conducted to explore both the influence of assessment on teachers' classroom practice during an assessment driven educational reform, and the principle underlying assessment driven instruction, i.e., "what you test is what you get." Factors targeted at the level of assessment were performance-based or objective…

In order to examine trends in educational reform in Kentucky, two studies of student portfolio evaluations as perceived by Kentucky teachers were described and compared. Under the Kentucky Educational Reform Act, student portfolios can serve as a basis for official evaluation of school performance. The first study, conducted in the fall and spring…

Teacher educators in Kentucky must prepare teachers who can meet the demands of the state's schools as articulated in the Kentucky Education Reform Act. Teacher educators themselves must demonstrate the kinds of practices that students are expected to learn and must recognize diversity and optimize the success of diverse populations. (SLD)

In response to a need expressed by Kentucky teachers for curriculum guides as a very important priority that should be addressed to improve instruction and learning as part of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), the study reported here was undertaken. The study investigated the extent to which the state documents and guidelines had been…

This study examined the implementation of the seven critical attributes of the primary school curriculum mandated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) in a single multi-age primary classroom. The study used a case-study approach over a 16-month period. The seven attributes observed are: (1) developmentally appropriate practices; (2)…