On March 11 and 12, 1976, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a project of the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and the Clearinghouse for Applied Performance Testing (CAPT), a project of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), cohosted a Minimal Competency Measurement Conference in Denver, Colorado.…

Traditionally, local school boards have had the power to assign students to classes and to set standards for promotion and graduation; with this authority has gone the discretion to decide what role pupil testing will play in the local schools. Courts have been reluctant to interfere with school board decisions on methodology, of which they…

The California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) allows a 16-or-17 year old who passes it to leave school as early as age 16, with parental permission, earning the legal equivalent of a diploma. The exam focuses on basic reading and computing skills. In this study, a variety of findings are reported. School districts have a budgetary…

State leaders, parents, and business people want to be sure that students truly learn what they are being taught in school. Today, basic skills are not sufficient to guarantee that children will find good jobs and become productive citizens. As a result, the Alabama State Legislature passed its Education Accountability Law in 1995. The new…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Committee Approves Education Funding Bill: Striving Readers Program Would Receive $5 Million Increase; (2) Role…

This document contains an introduction to the Ohio Integrated Technical and Academic Competency (ITAC) and Specialization ITAC; an overview of the visual communications art profession; a list acknowledging professionals who helped develop the competency list; and the comprehensive list of the professional or occupational competencies deemed…

This collection of 33 tables provides data on various aspects of higher education in Maryland. The first table provides comparative statistics for Maryland and the country at large in the areas of educational achievement, composite SAT scores (1997), enrollment, campus mix in enrollment, degrees conferred, average resident undergraduate tuition…

This report presents data on high school performance indicators for the 1999-00 school year in Chancellor's District high schools. Data are provided on: background; students (numbers and ethnicity); state accountability indicators in English and language arts (full cohort and seniors in the cohort); state accountability indicators in mathematics…

This report focuses on the participation and performance of students with disabilities on the initial administration of Minnesota's Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs). The MCAs are criterion-referenced tests used for district accountability purposes and as tools for making decisions about curriculum and instruction. Assessments in mathematics and…

This document presents the full revised course descriptions for Florida exceptional student education in grades 6-8. Courses incorporate the Florida standards for a special diploma. Requirements include a list of related benchmarks from the state standards for each level of functioning: independent, supported, and participatory. Introductory…

This handbook provides guidelines for the operation of local special education programs for Alaskan children with disabilities. It addresses: (1) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 and basic concepts of special education; (2) identification of students with disabilities, referral, screening programs, and…

This document presents state-level data on Pennsylvania's K-college education, including demographic distribution across each educational level, participation and success in Advanced Placement, percentage of students taking high-level courses, school funding gaps, and high school and college graduation rates. In 2002, 57 percent of all 5th graders…

This study explores data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a tool for assessing and benchmarking the performance of public research universities. Using of national databases such as those conducted by the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Education Statistics, DEA analysis was conducted of the research and instructional outcomes…

This study examined the characteristics of students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), focusing on 14 HBCUs with student loan default rates of 25 percent or more over the last 3 years, which are high enough to jeopardize their continued participation in federal financial aid programs. It was found that, in general,…

In an effort to better understand student loan default behavior at Texas A&M University (TAMU), the research staff at TG, at the request of TAMU, conducted a study of the relationship between loan default, on the one hand, and many student and borrower characteristics, on the other hand. The study examines the default behavior of 12,776…