Each year teachers and principals in schools across Australia invest much time and effort, and considerable expense, in activities related to communicating student learning progress. However little is known about the effectiveness of these activities, including the extent to which they are valued by stakeholders, whether they are considered to…

This document provides guidelines for developing competency-based pathways in Iowa districts and schools and outlines waiver requirements and procedures. Competency-based pathways provide ways to validate learning of standards that occurs outside the structure of the traditional school and offer flexibility for schools to engage students in…

One of the biggest challenges facing the career and technical education (CTE) community as it works to implement the 2006 Perkins Act is responding to more rigorous requirements for reporting on CTE students' technical skill attainment. The U.S. Department of Education suggested in non-regulatory guidance that states and locals use the number of…

This paper describes a major initiative in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to develop a statewide, standards-based, student report card for reporting the learning progress of individual students at all grade levels (K-12). Led by a team of researchers with expertise in grading and reporting, 36 educators from three diverse school districts created…

Education leaders across the country confront a growing challenge: too many students are not college ready when they leave high school. Although indicators exist to identify students at risk of dropping out of high school, few indicators of students' college readiness are currently in place, and few districts have linked indicators to practices…

Walbridge Academy, the oldest alternative education program in the Grand Rapids School System, has a student population of about 250 students in grades 7 through 12. The majority of students are admitted to Walbridge on a first-come, first-served basis; however, some positions are reserved for students who have been placed on extended suspension…

The National curriculum assessment (NCA) in Wales has evolved from common foundations into a system that is now distinct from that in England. The influence of the political and social milieu of Wales can be seen both in the distinctive features that have been in place from the outset and in the more radical changes introduced since 2002. In this…

Discusses four aspects of the Bellevue Portfolio Project (in Bellevue, Washington) that helped teachers use portfolios effectively: involving teachers in the development of the portfolio framework; conducting monthly group meetings; using portfolios to describe children; and evaluating portfolios. (SR)

The document describes one component of a New Hampshire Experimental Schools Program (ESP) project to develop a K-12 career/vocational education program. By placing selected students at community resource sites, the program has taken advantage of both physical and human site resources. Skilled community craftsmen/tradesmen function as off-campus…

Detailing the development of a sequential career education program for grades 4-12, the report describes the following program components and the techniques used to accomplish their objectives: guidance and counseling model program (grades 6-12), career awareness at the elementary level (grades 4 and 5), career orientation and exploratory…

The paper reviews placement, treatment, supplementary services, and exit and follow-through procedures of a program for mainstreaming secondary students with mild to moderate behavior disorders. (CL)

The Integrated Disciplinary Approach is a system for assessing individuals with suspected handicaps without overtesting and producing excessive data that can be confusing to both parents and professionals. The educational diagnostician, behavioral consultant, psychologist, classroom teacher(s), and parent(s) comprise the team that reviews referral…

The document contains the proceedings of a 1983 Tennessee conference on "Provision of Services to the Severely and Emotionally Disturbed and Austistic." Areas covered were identified as priority needs by Tennessee educators and emphasize the practical rather than the theoretical aspects of providing services. After the text of the…

Described are assessment procedures, scheduling techniques, and the use of the prescriptive model employed by the diagnostic/prescriptive specialist for educating severely disturbed children. Assessment areas are noted to include medical problems, specific fears or apprehensions, pertinent reinforcers, length of attention span, level of…

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model, originally designed for academically gifted students, is currently used to develop the gifts and talents of a much wider pool of students. One SEM component, the Total Talent Portfolio, focuses attention on student interests and learning-style preferences. This article explains how SEM, combined with curriculum…