Each day, in schools across America, teachers willingly embrace the often daunting task of educating the nation's youth. Students who share little more than a common birth year are placed together with a teacher who is expected to take them from wherever they happen to be academically at the beginning of the year to where they simply must be by…

For more than one hundred and fifty years, until 2008, California was an undisputed national leader in its commitment to adult education. The state's investment in adult learners topped $750 million, a sum greater than the combined total of every other state in the nation. However, for the past several years recession and fiscal crisis have left…

This study was designed as a field research project aimed at improving the method of assessing student learning at ACT Academy in the McKinney Independent School District, McKinney, Texas. Data and information were gathered and analyzed to see how the administration could improve the current student portfolio process. Reflections were completed by…

This year, Congress is scheduled to review the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In 2002, this law signaled an important change in federal education policy by focusing on accountability for results rather than simple compliance and by seeking to set the performance bar high for all children, regardless of where they live. The time is now to learn…

Eight school districts in Rhode Island formed the East Bay Professional Learning Community to launch a joint effort to develop a culture of assessment literacy through ongoing professional learning focused on team-specific action plans tightly aligned to school, district, and state initiatives. To accomplish this, the districts pooled their…

This paper addresses methodological and substantive issues regarding the use of portfolios of students' work in Chapter 1 evaluation and program improvement. In evaluations using portfolios desirable characteristics of the evaluation procedure are objectivity, reliability, and validity. The Chapter 1 Evaluation/Program Improvement System (CHEPIS)…

This reference guide contains summaries of workshops developed by the Rural Technical Assistance Centers (R-TACs) at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory to provide assistance to Chapter 1 personnel. The booklet describes currently available standard workshops from which rural educators may select. Most workshops can range from an…

This chapter is limited to a discussion of formative evaluation procedures for the purpose of improving instructional programs. It provides some discussion about what formative evaluation is, what it is for, and some guidelines regarding how to go about the evaluation of instruction. The use of the term "instruction" is construed very broadly to…

Federal law (PL 94-142) has charged schools with the task of constructing for handicapped students individual educational programs that specify curriculum-based goals with procedures for measuring progress toward these goals. To demonstrate substantive and procedural compliance with this law, measurement and evaluation procedures must be…

This program guide for physical education program improvement and development is designed to offer options for organization, program content, resources, teaching methodologies, and evaluation, consistent with efforts of individualizing and humanizing education. Topics considered include: legal mandates and philosophy; public relations;…

Discusses perspectives on teaching foreign languages, describing four models of instruction. Proposes the formulation of minimum requirements and the use of textbooks and handbooks for working with different models of instruction. Considers the problems to be addressed, such as developing a methodology for teaching in primary schools and teaching…

States, school districts, and schools across the country are increasingly implementing multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) to improve outcomes for all students. Kansas is no exception. The Kansas MTSS is designed to improve outcomes for all students by instituting system-level change across the classroom, school, district, and state. Such…

This paper first compares Vermont's old Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which was designed primarily to insure legal compliance with the new family-centered IEP. It then describes the new IEP. Vermont's new family-centered IEP process emphasizes increased collaboration, reduced paperwork, and legal compliance. Three questions serve as a focus…

This article reviews barriers to the recognition of and assistance for gifted and talented Black students, focusing on inadequate definitions, theories, and identification procedures. Rationales are presented for reexamining current definitions and broadening the theories of giftedness to include more Blacks. Recommendations are provided for…

This handbook is designed to provide parents and advocates with the information they need to take an active role in Chapter 1 programs. It contains 11 chapters. Chapters 1-4 are designed for anyone interested in learning more about the basic requirements of Chapter 1 law. Specifically, these chapters provide a brief overview of the law, explore…