There may be some important unintended consequences if states do not go beyond the "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act. Analyses of data from states in which accountability systems in place have been based on the percentage of students reaching a certain proficiency level suggest that many…

This paper summarizes information from interviews with four states regarding their Universal Design for Learning (UDL) initiatives, i.e., state or regional level efforts to promote the principles and practices of UDL via professional development or the production and/or dissemination of universally designed instructional materials. Discussion of…

In October 2002, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopted a preliminary analysis of the costs and benefits of reaching the first two goals of "Closing the Gaps by 2015," the state's higher education plan. Refinements to the analysis, which adjusted for inflation and made other changes, were presented in January 2003, and the…

The Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) both emphasize the need for students with disabilities to have appropriate instructional and statewide assessment accommodations to ensure access to the general curriculum and to be included in school, district, and state accountabilities…

The Council of Chief State School Officers worked with state departments of education to compile this summary document on the current status of state education accountability and state education indicator reports. The summary is designed to provide state-by-state information (all 50 states, the Department of Defense Dependants Schools, the Virgin…

Noting that health benefits for children should be one of the principal goals of comprehensive early childhood initiatives, this Smart Start brochure provides information on "medical homes" and their importance to the overall health of children; the brochure also describes community strategies to help promote a medical home for all…

Nearly every state is engaged in standards-based reform, as seen by the development of statewide academic goals and guidelines in core subjects and the subsequent new state tests that will measure students' progress toward achieving these goals. A Study Group on Statewide Assessment Systems formed by the National Association of State Boards of…

This document presents three different views of accountability to address state needs as their departments of education design, improve, or review their state accountability and reporting systems. The first of three sections presents the system-design decision process as a linear sequence of ten steps from defining the purposes of the…

The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) is charged with improving library services throughout the state to ensure that all citizens have access to quality library and information services. Part of this charge includes the responsibility for receiving and administering federal funds to the more than 200 public libraries in Alabama. Federal…

This issue of the NCEDL Spotlight Series newsletter adds California and Ohio to a re-analysis of findings from an earlier report looking at the move to establish a state pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in Georgia, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, and Texas. Key figures in political and educational circles in these seven states were…

Evaluation studies on the long-term achievement of early intervention program participants have often found that initial student achievement gains for many students dissipate in subsequent years. This study offers some possible explanations for achievement "fadeout" and examines this phenomenon in relation to Exceptional Student…

This document contains released reading comprehension passages, test items, and writing prompts from the Colorado Student Assessment Program for 2001. The sample questions and prompts are included without answers or examples of student responses. Test materials are included for: (1) Grade 4 Reading and Writing; (2) Grade 4 Lectura y Escritura…

The Maryland Higher Education Commission funded the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to review the state's financial aid programs and to make recommendations for improvement. To determine how to improve the content, delivery, and administration of financial aid in Maryland, AIR conducted a number of activities, including a literature review,…

The National Assessment Governing Board has recognized the need to study associated policy and technical issues to ensure that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is ready to do the best job possible if called on to confirm the results of state achievement testing under the No Child Left Behind Act. This report describes the…

This collection of selected state policies covers the entire range of educational issues. It furnishes descriptions of legislative bills, arranged by category, from all 50 states. Essentially, the information in this report is raw data rapidly processed to be released in printed form at the earliest possible date. Editing has been kept to a…