This collection of papers identifies critical issues in mentoring and mentoring programs. Paper 1, "Support Behaviors Among Teachers in Authentic Settings" (Deborah L. Bainer), discusses the following issues: (1) mentoring is just one of the types of support behaviors needed and practiced by teachers in elementary schools; (2) support…

In spring 1998, 1,020 seventh-grade students were surveyed as one component of a statewide evaluation of Arizona's school-to-work system designed by the Morrison Institute for Public Policy. This second survey measured attitudes toward and participation in career activities. Results were compared to baseline data collected from over 2,000…

This paper reviews all of the 50 state plans required under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in order to identify state initiatives dealing with the recruitment and retention of special education personnel. The beginning of the report explains the requirements under IDEA relevant to recruitment and discusses the…

April 1986 marked the sixth year of the statewide testing program in reading, language, and mathematics mandated by the Arizona legislature. For 1986, the Arizona State Board of Education adopted three tests to fulfill the legislative mandate: the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (grades 1 through 8); the Stanford Achievement Test (grade 9); and the…

Colorado conducts an assessment program to provide a statewide profile of student achievement. Results for fall 1988 and fall 1991 are presented in a series of tables. A standardized, nationally norm-referenced achievement test, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, was administered in 1988 to students in grades 4, 7, and 10, and again to the same…

In 1991 Pennsylvania began implementation of a direct writing assessment at the sixth-grade and ninth-grade levels. A total of 18,758 sixth graders and 16,575 ninth graders wrote a response to 1 of 9 prompts reflecting 3 modes of writing. A six-point holistic scale was used to score the papers, with two readers scoring each paper. A third reader,…

In 1984 the Governor of California signed into law a bill establishing the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP), a program to develop cooperative efforts to improve the academic quality of public secondary schools and the preparation of all students for college. CAPP grants are awarded to collaborating secondary and postsecondary…

Assistance offered by the State Department of Education to school districts in Oregon to help them identify aspects of student achievement under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (Hawkins Stafford Amendments of 1988) is discussed. Two hundred ninety-five of the 297 Oregon public school districts have Chapter 1 programs,…

This report analyzes the progress made in implementing the Illinois Board of Higher Education's policies on undergraduate education, focusing particularly on public university and community college efforts to implement the Board's policies on student achievement, scholarship and general education and on faculty effectiveness and excellence in…

The Connecticut Mastery Test is a critical element of the state's efforts to attain educational equity and excellence. The testing program assesses essential skills in mathematics and language arts, including listening, reading, and writing for grades 4, 6, and 8. Student achievement is measured and reported in relation to specific learning…

A 5-year (1986-91) follow-up needs assessment was conducted to evaluate current single parent and displaced homemaker programs in New Jersey. Suggestions were offered to help them continue effectively helping the changing target population attain long-term economic self-sufficiency. Recommendations made in response to specific findings included…

This report contains the proceedings of a public forum held to explore and exchange definitions and theories of literacy and to present examples of successful literacy programs in Louisiana in 1990. The following presentations are included: "Conference Welcome" (Patti Roemer); "Conference Introduction" (Michael Sartisky);…

This report examines absenteeism and its relationship to performance on the California Achievement Tests (CAT) and the Graduation Exit Examinations (GEE) administered in the New Orleans (Louisiana) public schools in the spring of 1993. It also focuses on the need to report test data in a manner that more accurately reflects a district's…

As mandated by state law, the Texas Education Agency presents a summary of data relating to grade-level retention of students reported by grade, ethnicity, and gender. The reported total number of students who repeated a grade in Texas schools in 1992-93 was 118,888. An additional 3,243 students, or 1.24% of the first grade, were placed in…

This handbook outlines the options and requirements for federal support for tech prep in the Perkins law. It explains what educators must do and not do to assure compliance with all the law's mandates and to avoid audit exceptions. The guide also covers new tech prep provisions that were included in the Higher Education Act of 1992. Discussed in…