This report contains information on the background of and research on the North Carolina Kindergarten Entry Assessments (NC KEA). Evidence shows that implementing formative assessment is difficult for teachers and schools. Given that North Carolina will be adopting a new KEA measure for the fall of 2020, this report summarizes previous research on…

At community colleges and open-enrollment universities, most first-year students take placement exams in English and mathematics to determine whether they are ready for college-level courses. But large-scale studies have indicated that these test scores misplace substantial numbers of students--in other words, for many students, the test score…

As of fall 2019, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office required all California community colleges (CCC) to be in compliance with Assembly Bill 705 (AB 705). CCC were required to implement multiple measures placement policies for math and English that would maximize the likelihood that students with an educational goal of degree or…

Despite evidence suggesting that standardized tests are an imperfect measure of academic readiness, many community colleges across the country rely on them alone to determine student course placement. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced campuses to transition to remote operations in spring 2020, proctoring in-person placement tests became…

This article argues that the national trend to replace developmental writing programs with mainstreaming and corequisite courses presents an important opportunity to reconsider writing goals and assessment practices for all students. This insight emerges in part from data collected over several semesters at one community college, which showed that…

Over the past 15 years, students with disabilities have been included in the general education environment at markedly higher rates; however, their achievement is not increasing at the same pace. One reason for this lack of increased achievement may be that academic standards lay the foundation for instruction in this environment, but standards…

Each day, in schools across America, teachers willingly embrace the often daunting task of educating the nation's youth. Students who share little more than a common birth year are placed together with a teacher who is expected to take them from wherever they happen to be academically at the beginning of the year to where they simply must be by…

This article addresses the effects of 3-tiered comprehensive reading and behavior interventions on K-3 student outcomes in 7 urban elementary schools with a high prevalence of students considered difficult to teach. Specific features of each level of the implementation are described including screening and tier placement procedures, scheduling and…

The federal government has had a long-standing commitment to ensuring access of English Learner (EL) students to a meaningful education. As early as 1968, the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act" ("ESEA") contained provisions for supporting the education of EL students and in its 1974 landmark decision, "Lau v.…

Describes a study examining the status of vocational programs for special students (under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act) after two years' implementation in a northwestern state's rural schools. Results showed little concern for special students' vocational education; counseling services were inadequate, and vocational teachers'…

This reprint of an article on using grade advancement as a method for meeting the needs of some intellectually or academically gifted students is preceded by a commentary that concludes that popular sentiment and negative folklore supporting grade advancement are unfounded. Grade advancement guidelines are provided. (Contains references.) (CR)

Guidelines are offered to serve as a practical, adaptable model for implementation of a search, screening, and identification process for students eligible for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) in California. The guidelines cover: catgories of identification; appropriate grade levels for identification; general procedures for search and…

The guidelines discuss appropriate educational services for children with special health problems. An initial chapter considers the range of common needs of this population, including modification of daily schedule and health related services. Five suggestions are offered to support families, among them understanding needs and rights and…

The manual presents policies, procedures, and guidelines for special education in British Columbia. The following topics are addressed: philosophy and goals; service delivery models (planning, administration, coordination of services); division organization (organizational chart); financial management system (special programs funding, reporting…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is a statewide program designed to ensure that all students attending public colleges and universities have the basic reading, mathematics, and writing skills necessary to perform effectively at the college level. All entering first-time freshmen are required to take the TASP test, which has a basic skills…