The James Irvine Foundation launched the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative in 1999 with the goal of improving the academic achievement of children in the lowest-performing schools in five California cities. In 2004, CORAL adopted a more targeted approach toward reaching this goal by integrating a regular…

With the growth of standardized assessment benchmarks in both the public and private paradigms, testing performance matters to institutions more than ever. In an attempt to take as many hindering variables out of this process, such as test anxiety, socioeconomic influences, and latency in cognition, Improvisation: A Complement to Curriculum seeks…

Intended to help teachers of young children prepare for diversity among their students, this early childhood education textbook focuses on the integration of assessment and learning as an interactive process; and the integration of curriculum and instruction to be age-, group-, and individually-appropriate. The introductory chapter discusses…

This booklet presents results from four survey questions asked of the audience and papers presented at a 1995 teleconference on assessment issues with African American adolescents and adults with learning disabilities. An introductory paper, "Multiple Factors Impacting the Assessment and Instruction of African American Adolescents and Adults…

This report describes findings of two half-day focus group meetings that discussed experiences and concerns about the participation of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in Minnesota's Basic Standards Exams. The focus groups included test coordinators, general classroom teachers, and English as a Second Language teachers. The report…

Intended for parents (or surrogate parents) of children with disabilities in Arizona, this handbook explains rights and procedural safeguards under federal and state laws. Section 1, an introduction to special education, is followed by a section on parent rights in relation to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, initial evaluation,…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the only accurate and credible indicator of educational performance capable of informing about national trends and state differences in student achievement, serves many different constituencies whose opinions must figure heavily in determining the future directions of the NAEP. To identify,…

This document describes a certificate given for English for Speakers of Other Languages in Australia. The course leading to the certificate has four levels, grouped into two stages. Each Stage represents one semester's full time study. The certificate has four core modules: oral skills covering listening and speaking, written skills covering…

This publication presents a digest of pertinent research and recommended practices for the first steps of providing early intervention services for young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Chapter 1, "Initial Identification and Referral: Child Find, Screening, and Tracking: Serving Culturally and Linguistically…

Developed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET) team, the O*NET[TM] Career Exploration Tools (Version 3.0) consist of three main parts: (1) the Interest Profiler; (2) the Work Importance Locator; and (3) the O*NET[TM] Occupations Combined List. The Interest Profiler is a self-assessment career exploration tool…

This blueprint describes President Bush's education plan. Federal block grants are provided to states for schools that establish annual assessments, demand progress, improve poorly-performing schools, create consequences for failure, and protect home and private schools. The "Reading First" initiative gives funds and tools to promote…

Career-technical educators face three issues in credentialing through assessment. First, the occupational credentialing domain is large and evolving, and a clear understanding of it is a prerequisite to considering adoption of a credential. Three types of credentialing are registration, certification, and licensure. Credentialing organizations are…

This document presents a model curriculum for use by trainers presenting training course in assessing and reporting dust and debris from deteriorated lead-based paint. The course, which was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is intended for use with housing quality standard inspectors, rehabilitation specialists, home…

This field-tested training packet, which was designed for adult literacy providers, contains preparation materials, facilitator's notes, handout masters, and transparency masters for two 3-hour sessions on learning disabilities (LD) in the workplace. (At the end of the first session supported by the packet, participants will be able to do the…

These student and teacher guides are designed for a secondary-level course in natural resources that focuses on renewable and nonrenewable natural resources, methods of protecting the environment, and the various careers and technologies available in the natural resources area. The following topics are covered in the course's 10 units: outdoor…