One component of the Maryland School Performance Assessment; Program (MSPAP) is the state's performance-based assessments, criterion-referenced tests that require students to apply what they know and can do to solve problems and display other higher-order thinking skills. This document helps parents, teachers, students, and other citizens…

This score interpretation guide is designed to help administrators and classroom teachers understand the scores and scales of the 1994 and Beyond Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). MSPAP scale scores indicate a school's level of performance in the content areas of reading, writing, language usage, mathematics, science, and…

Performance based assessment refers to tasks that require students to construct responses or take actions to demonstrate specific knowledge or skills. Performance assessment tasks appear in a variety of formats, but they focus on higher order skills and are nonroutine, and sometimes loosely structured, in nature. A number of concerns have been…

This booklet emphasizes the importance of National Education Goal 1, which states that all children should be ready to learn when they start school. The booklet also explains the educational and social effects that early childhood programs can have on young children, and shows how the Nebraska State Board of Education, citizen groups, and school…

A study investigated the influence of Community Leadership: A County Perspective--(CLCP), a 12-week Georgia program to help build and maintain a solid leadership base in a community, on participants' organizational participation, political activity, leadership and problem-solving skills, further involvement in community issues, and decision…

This paper presents a summary of the current status of efforts to include students with mental retardation in mainstream educational programs. It begins with a summary of a New Jersey federal court's ruling requiring more inclusive education and a discussion of the commitment of the Arc (formerly The Association for Retarded Citizens of the United…

The purpose of this bulletin is to examine general policies and principles of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education, to assess the status of the ESL program at the state level in Oregon, and to examine ESL programs in two Oregon school districts. The study is concerned with both the quantitative (demography, budget allocations) and…

The Virginia Statewide Program To Endorse Teachers in Severe and Profound Handicaps was a 5-year personnel preparation project which selected and trained teachers currently unendorsed but employed to teach students with severe disabilities in schools across Virginia. Participating universities included the University of Virginia (UVA), George…

This report presents a second look at the effects of Minnesota's School District Enrollment Options Program, usually referred to as the Open Enrollment Program. This interdistrict enrollment program allows families and students to apply for enrollment in any school district other than the one in which they reside. This document focuses on the…

The Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX) Literacy Initiative has three major components: literacy awareness, cooperation and coordination with other state agencies and organizations, and programmatic responses. During 1991, the TAEX Literacy Initiative addressed the literacy awareness component through these activities: writing a research…

The Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP) epitomizes the principle on which measurement-driven reform is based, "You get what you assess." This policy study examines the ideologies and intentions of groups instrumental in the creation and implementation of a performance-based assessment reform. The study was conducted by interviewing…

The forms and materials included in this document were developed to meet Oregon regulations for early intervention for children with special needs from birth to age 3. The forms and directions are organized in chronological order from the referral of a child through the development of the child's individual family service plan, and, after…

This report describes youth apprenticeships, one of the types of school-to-work transition programs in place in North Carolina. Information is provided on the following: (1) what youth apprenticeships are; (2) connection with tech prep associate degree programs; (3) essential elements of youth apprenticeships; (4) legislative framework for federal…

While most community and technical colleges individually offer courses by distance learning, they are increasingly challenged to provide the full range of instructional and student support services needed for expanding distance education programs. To address this issue, Washington and Oregon community and technical colleges formed distance…

This booklet is designed to help parents understand how Washington schools are raising their academic standards. It also points out questions parents should ask about their children's schools and describes some at-home activities that will help a child make the most of time in and out of the classroom. The educational improvement effort in…