Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to interpret and evaluate complex works of music, dance, theater, visual arts,…

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to writing and speaking for a variety of academic and technical purposes. It…

The Maine Folklife Center is a division of the University of Maine (Orono) College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and helps the University fulfill its mission of teaching, research, and public service. The Maine Folklife Center offers courses in folklore, oral history, and public history. This curriculum guide can help teachers fulfill the Maine…

A study of science and math education systemic reform in rural schools aimed to help educators understand and build upon the inherent strengths of rural schools and communities that support systemic reform. The first phase of the study involved developing a system of indicators for each of six drivers of educational system reform: 1)…

The reasons for the deterioration of the inspection grades awarded for work-based learning (WBL) provision in England were examined. The main data collection activities were as follows: (1) a statistical analysis of the Training Standards Council (TSC) and Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) inspection grades in 1998-2001; (2) a qualitative review…

This document consists of four issues of the quarterly report "Alaska's Children," which provides information on the Alaska Head Start State Collaboration Project and updates on Head Start activities in Alaska. Regular features in the issues include a calendar of conferences and meetings, a status report on Alaska's children, reports…

This handbook forms the guideline for Ontario facilities of education as they prepare for accreditation reviews in the spring of 2000. The handbook also helps members of the accreditation panels with their work at individual pilot sites. The 8 parts are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession and…

This manual covers thirteen different topics relevant to the education of students with disabilities in the era of educational reform and standards-based education. Sections include: (1) "Raising Standards of Learning: and Students with and Standards-Based Education Students with Disabilities" (Janet R. Vohs, Julia K. Landau, and Carolyn…

This document is a review of the literature on educational accountability and the presentation of a model of accountability developed by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). Current literature is reviewed in terms of definitions, relationships to past educational reform movements, and critical issues that…

Early childhood educators are increasingly concerned about the trend toward national standards and national testing. This article addresses issues of assessment in the early years of schooling, prekindergarten through third grade--a period when active, engaged, hands-on learning is most appropriate. Documentation of a kindergarten project on a…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

While reformers have taken many steps in recent years to raise student achievement, and have enacted higher standards, introduced new instructional strategies, and sought out stronger teachers, it is increasingly clear to business leaders that the public education system is not going to respond sufficiently to reformers without incentives to…

This paper suggests that teacher education and assessment share in being bull's-eyes for those who would target culprits for educational problems in the U.S. Section 1 examines what is different about today's education, including: education is a political combat zone; there is a crisis in the number of teachers; there is a crisis in teacher…

This document outlines the proficiencies in the visual and performing arts that students should demonstrate for admission to the Oregon University System (OUS) of institutions beginning in the Fall of 2004. The Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS) has identified six proficiency areas and the performance criteria for determining…

This document was created to establish competency goals and objectives for teaching and learning science in North Carolina for grades K-12. It contains the concepts and theories, strands, skills, and processes upon which all science instruction should be based. In addition, the curriculum defines and illustrates the connections between the…