New York State's New Ventures program, a comprehensive 21- to 24-week career exploration and job skills training program to help low-income women prepare for economic self-sufficiency through employment in higher-paying nontraditional occupations, was evaluated through a 5-year formative outcomes-based evaluation process. Program data (including…

In the 1995-96 school year, the 16th year of the Arizona Pupil Achievement Testing Program, the state Board of Education mandated testing for grades 4, 7, and 10. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered at grades 4 and 7, and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade 10. Test scores are reported by subject, subtest,…

Two statewide Montana projects address educational needs assessed through a biennial Comprehensive System of Personnel Development survey. Although addressing different needs, the projects use similar strategies for effective implementation in a large rural state. Montana Training for Inclusive Education is a program of inservice training,…

This report documents the design and data analysis procedures of the Trial State Assessment Program of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Today the NAEP is the only survey using advanced plausible values methodology that uses a multiple imputation procedure in a psychometric context. The 1990 Trial State Assessment collected…

This report and the database on which it is based provide an overview of five federal and state education and training programs: secondary vocational education, postsecondary vocational education, the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), welfare-to-work programs, and state-funded job training. Section 1 describes the study methods, namely…

This report, which documents compliance of Texas vocational education programs with civil rights legislation in 1992-93, details the activities conducted by the Texas Education Agency to comply with Office of Civil Rights (OCR) guidelines under the Texas Methods of Administration plan. Presented in the first section are the following:…

The impact of testing and promotion standards on students in urban schools was discussed by urban school superintendents from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pointing to research that suggests that standards alone are not enough to boost achievement, many educators recommend coupling more rigorous standards with appropriate remedial programs, staff…

This report is a summary of a May 1994 meeting on the participation of students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs. The report reviews the background of the meeting, states the issues addressed, and summarizes the major points of agreement reached. A set of recommendations is offered for making participation and accommodation…

In November 1991, the State Librarian (Michigan) established a committee to review and revise the standards of service for the blind and physically handicapped. These revised standards define the general responsibilities of Michigan subregional libraries to their regional libraries and their borrowers. Responsibilities cover basic services such as…

The grant received for the Literacy Program of the Twin Falls (Idaho) Public Library (approximately $24,000) has contributed to the overall improvement of the library system afforded by construction of a new addition planned for completion in February 1991. Grant funds supporting the literacy program complemented funds from a bond issue for…

The Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program is a system developed under the Oklahoma Education Reform Act of 1990 to assess the performance of public schools and school systems. "Results 1993" includes data for the 1992-93 school year for all categories of measurement. Applicable indicators have been compiled separately for each school…

In 1986, the Florida State Legislature passed a law requiring teachers to demonstrate knowledge of their subject areas before being granted teacher certification. The state also provided funding for developing subject area examinations. The generic procedures for developing these examinations are outlined. During the first phase of the project, an…

This report on the state of children in the United States begins with a call to action that points out the destructive effects of poverty, violence, and drug use on America's children while outlining 10 needed steps that should be followed to help alleviate these problems. The greater part of the report focuses on: (1) health; (2) child care; (3)…

This paper presents six chapters that describe how statewide reading assessment is currently being performed and how the data are being used. The validity of statewide reading assessment instruments and the appropriate uses of statewide reading assessment data are explored. Several chapters discuss new ways in which some states conduct reading…

State legislation requires that the Texas Education Agency write a plan to reduce the state's cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates to no more than 5 percent by 1997-98. This report presents the current plan, with current aggregate and disaggregate data on the dropout rate of students in grades 7 through 12 and projections for…