This brief provides policymakers and practitioners with a comprehensive overview of the purpose, characteristics, uses, and types of Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs). It emphasizes the importance of high-quality KEAs in guiding instructional practices and assessing developmental progress in young learners. It highlights that high-quality KEAs…

Gateway Public Schools--a middle and high school serving a diverse group of about 800 students in San Francisco--was founded in 1998 by parents of students with learning disabilities seeking a supportive environment for their children. As a public charter organization with a lottery entrance system, Gateway seeks to admit a student body that…

This article describes a data-based continuous-improvement framework that can help school teams use what the authors call "systems-level data" to support teachers in achieving successful beginning reading outcomes for all students. The authors also furnish an example of an elementary school in the Pacific Northwest that uses such a…

Teachers should develop a communication system in order to gather performance information on handicapped students entering a regular classroom. (JD)

The individualized reading approach, which features independent activities and individual conferences with children, is described in terms of specific areas of need when used with disabled students including systematic progress checks and Individualized Education Program accountability. Advantages and disadvantages of the approach are noted. (CL)

This study synthesizes published and unpublished research on the effects of adaptive education on student outcomes. The study found adaptive education affects student outcomes positively and suggests that tailoring instruction to individual students is more effective than traditional educational methods. (MD)

This book was written for college-level tennis instructors. The book provides essential instructional resources, including: (1) management and safety guidelines; (2) warm-up and cool-down exercises; (3) specification of equipment needs; (4) rating charts for identifying students' initial skill levels; (5) drill modifications to fit various skill…

This book provides practical, research-based guidelines for reading comprehension instruction in grades K-9. The book integrates current research findings with real-life observations of diverse students in action, identifying the strategies that successful readers use to comprehend many different types of materials. It offers recommendations for…

The major issues addressed include the extent to which handicapped students should participate in or be exempt from the testing program, whether tests and scoring criteria should be adapted for individual handicapped students or categories of students, and whether differential diplomas should be awarded to handicapped students on the basis of test…

This article describes both portfolio assessment and curriculum-based measurement; offers a rationale for using these two assessment strategies together; and gives specific steps for combining these two approaches, using a case example of a learning-disabled boy with difficulties in written expression to illustrate the synthesis. (DB)

Discussion of the grading of modified assignments for students with disabilities in inclusive settings focuses on the background of grading practices, the purpose of grades, current grading practices, development of effective grading procedures, and policies and practices. Emphasis is on providing feedback on actual accomplishments and needs. (DB)

This software product presents multi-level stories to capture the interest of children in grades two through five, while teaching them crucial reading comprehension skills. With stories touching on everything from superstars to sports facts, the open-ended reading comprehension program is versatile and easy to use for educators and children alike.…

Low grades and papers overrun with corrections can discourage children from learning to write. Assuming children who write a great deal can become good writers, this article provides alternatives to grading: individual, weekly conferences; editing by peers; and use of an overhead projector. Praise and comments are considered a must. (DS)

This paper suggests a variety of ways of assessing the curriculum and assessing pupils so that tasks can be matched to special needs learners in the process of curriculum differentiation. The emphasis is on formative and diagnostic assessment but summative assessment is also discussed. (Author/JDD)

This book presents a new method for English Language Arts teachers to assess student learning using authentic assessment techniques. It instructs on the implementation of the processes of Hypothesizing and Testing on a one-on-one basis, in order to better understand how children learn. Section 1 ("What Is the Hypothesis-Test Process?")…