There are likely as many approaches to teaching assessment as there are people teaching assessment. Graduate courses on assessment can be structured with a singular focus, such as learning outcomes assessment, or along a competencies-based framework. Such frameworks include the Assessment Skills and Knowledge (ASK) Standards developed by College…

Schools that are trying to improve often grapple with the question, What will it look like when we get there? The "Breaking Ranks" framework calls for schools to have personalized learning environments, but what are the observable indicators that it has happened? Educators hear continuous talk about rigorous curriculum, engaging…

A Coordinated School Health Program maximizes a school's positive interaction among health education, physical education, health services, nutrition services, counseling/psychological/social services, health school environment, health promotion for staff, and family and community involvement. The purpose of this semester project is for…

The challenge of producing the systemic changes that are needed to boost educational attainment and economic competitiveness across the country falls heavily on entities that coordinate public postsecondary institutions. Coordination of postsecondary education, whether of a single system of institutions or across an entire state, requires…

At the Appalachian Studies Association's thirty-first annual conference, in March, 2008, activist and author Silas House gave a thought-provoking keynote address. That Friday evening, on the Marshall University campus, in Huntington, West Virginia, not far from the coal fields of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, Silas offered some…

Employers are looking to career and technical education (CTE) programs to supply a workforce possessing academic and employability skills to complement the technical component. In Kentucky, the state has instituted assessment standards to ensure that CTE programs are working to increase student achievement. The program assessment standards bring…

One of the mandates of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 is that students develop a writing portfolio. Ultimately, schools must elevate the average performance level of students' portfolios to the benchmark of "proficient." During site visits to 29 schools, 34 indicators were identified that differentiated writing scores and…

Since 1991-92, student writing portfolios have been part of Kentucky's high-stakes performance-based assessment. A study of schools with continuously improving or continuously declining writing portfolio scores led to identification of 36 indicators of successful writing programs. These indicators were used to develop a comprehensive needs…

One mandate of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 requires that students develop a writing portfolio. Ultimately, schools must elevate the average performance level of students' portfolios to the benchmark of "proficient." During site visits to 29 schools, 36 indicators were identified that differentiated writing scores and…

A report is presented on an outreach project that assisted in the development and implementation of early intervention programs, special education, and related services for children with disabilities (ages birth to five). The Magnolia Circle Outreach Project disseminated and helped replicate a "best practices" model to improve the…

Complex community health promotion programs are being held accountable for their effectiveness, but rural public health departments lack staff and expertise to carry out evaluations. In Kentucky, a university evaluation expert trains local public health staff in technical skills for program evaluation and provides ongoing mentoring and technical…

The Commission to Study the Future of Community Colleges in Kentucky was established in 1988 to review the accomplishments of the Kentucky Community College System (KCCS), to assess its current status, and to provide direction for the KCCS towards the year 2000. Developed as part of a collection of articles and reports on the KCCS for use by the…

Designed to provide visiting committees of the Commission on Colleges with an orientation to the University of Kentucky Community College System (UKCCS), this nine-part report provides a detailed description of the UKCCS, including a review of its governance structure, planning and evaluation processes, and relationships among the 14 colleges in…

Designed to provide visiting committees of the Commission on Colleges with an orientation to the University of Kentucky Community College System (KCCS), this nine-part report provides a detailed description of the KCCS, including a review of its governance structure, planning and evaluation processes, relationships among the 14 colleges in the…

Action research focused on developing approaches local programs can use to document outcomes of student participation in adult basic education (ABE) programs. Teams of teachers and administrators from three ABE programs examined current documentation practices, were introduced to approaches to documentaion, and developed documentation processes…