Language teaching problems from elementary to graduate schools, identified by a series of questionnaires and centering around problems of program articulation, are described. The lack of bona fide FLES programs is noted. Problems of placing FLES students at the junior high school level with different training, the proper time to begin second…

The purpose of this document is to present to school personnel, parents, students, and other interested citizens the board rules and administrative procedures required to implement state legislative and local board pupil progression requirements. Sections of the document cover general procedures for promotions and assignments; promotion and…

The Hart Act, recently adopted by the state of California, mandates that school districts establish mechanisms of assessing minimal competencies in secondary education before students may receive a diploma. In this report, assemblyman Gary Hart, the bill's author, and Don McKinley, chief deputy to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, discuss…

Reviews effects on faculty, teaching assistants, curriculum, and students of the proficiency-based foreign language requirement instituted at the University of Pennsylvania. Although important and valuable changes have occurred in the language learning and teaching environment, caution is urged in creating realistic and well-understood standards…

A new program at Boston University that identifies students who would have great difficulty fulfilling their foreign language requirement is described. This program offers an alternative sequence of courses designed to help these students achieve foreign language learning success. (LMO)

A small rural high school initiated an 8-period day to offer students the increased number of credits required for graduation. Elective offerings, elective enrollments, and participation in extracurricular activities increased. Teachers and students liked shorter classes, grades improved, dropout rates declined, and teacher-pupil ratios dropped in…

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2003), in 2002-03, the number of students with disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 who were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was 5,946,202. About 80% of students with disabilities were educated in general education and resource room settings. In contrast, only…

These guides describe the New York State testing program and other performance measures for elementary and secondary school students and provide answers to frequently asked questions about these assessments. The New York State School Report Card is composed of "An Overview of Academic Performance" and "A Comprehensive Information…

This study aims to give essential facts regarding the development, general control, and administration of graduate work, including the principal standards, requirements, and practices that relate to the granting of degrees on the graduate level. In recent years, along with the expansion of graduate work in many of the older universities, a great…

Part-time first degree courses have grown rapidly in Britain in the last decade, but little research has been done on this growth and on the part-time students themselves. Reasons for this growth, difficulties for continued growth, and characteristics of a sample of part-time business students are examined. (IS)

The paper describes Colorado's needs-based special education programs and investigates the most useful predictive performance measures for 100 students enrolled in a teacher education preservice program, analyzing such factors as the relationship between admission criteria and student teaching performance. Recommendations for revisions in…

Examines Dade County (Florida) Public Schools' process for exiting limited English-proficient students (LEPSs) from the English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) Program. Results with 500 LEPSs show that exiters perform successfully in regular classrooms. The Stanford Achievement Test discriminated between LEPS and non-LEPS performance on…

Precedents from litigation on state graduation assessments provide insight into the potential legal arguments challengers may raise with regard to mandated content and performance standards for all students. Clearly documented, fairly administered procedures that adhere to professional recommendations will be the hallmark of defensible standards.…

A 3-year case study of a Houston (Texas) high school demonstrates that high stakes testing is an alienating feature of schooling. The need to pass the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills to graduate discourages many Mexican American and immigrant Mexican students from completing high school or considering college. The English-only nature of the…

There is increasing pressure to evaluate and document the capabilities of students exiting teacher education programs. A professional portfolio can serve as an effective tool for documenting this process. Faculty wishing to institute portfolios in pre-service teacher assessment should be aware of the difficulties that arise during discourse and…