This paper provides information about Alabama High School Graduation Exam, 3rd Edition, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Increase alignment of local curriculum…

This paper provides information about Ohio Graduation Test, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Measure the level of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skill expected at the end of 10th grade; (2) Ensure that students achieve a passing score as a condition of granting a diploma; (3)…

This paper provides information about South Carolina's High School Assessment Program. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Demonstrate students' achievement based on selected South Carolina academic standards; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform educational policy decisions; and (3) Meet a…

The First Condition Report provided policymakers and the general public a snapshot of where Ohio stands in providing the higher education services Ohio needs to be competitive in today's world. This Second Report focuses on facilities and technology. Five questions form the core of The Condition Report. These are: (1) Are Ohio's higher education…

In this paper, the authors review and analyze state policy regarding beginning teacher mentoring with a focus on special education. Mentoring policies guide the selection, assignment, and training of mentors and the process with which novice teachers are matched with veteran mentors. Mentoring is a component of induction; but induction also…

Raising academic standards and eliminating achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students are America's prime national educational goals. Current federal and state policies, however, largely ignore the fact that the childhood poverty rate in the United States is 21%, the highest in the industrialized world, and that poverty…

This report looks at actions Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have taken in recent years to improve the connections between public two- and four-year colleges, and it offers suggestions on what needs to happen next. To best understand the progress in their states, policymakers and education leaders should ask about the effectiveness…

This brochure provides a checklist of information for individuals considering massage therapy training in South Carolina. Areas covered include: (1) Oversight; (2) Requirements to Become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT); (3) Evaluating a School; (4) How to Decide; (5) While You're Enrolled; (6) After You Graduate; (7) Continuing Education; (8)…

This study examined whether instructional policies at the local level are becoming standardized as a result of state and federal accountability initiatives. A stratified random sample of 21 Virginia school districts was used, and the policies reviewed covered seven topics: class size, student grouping, homework, remedial instruction programs,…

This research compares the likelihood of exiting TANF with and without employment and the effects of important state TANF rules on welfare exits in more disadvantaged (large Rustbelt cities and poor southern nonmetro) and less disadvantaged (other metro and other nonmetro) areas during the 1996-2003 post-welfare reform period. Hierarchical…

Purpose: Consideration of assistive technology (AT) for special education students has been federally mandated since 1997. Since the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), rigorous evidence-based educational practices are also mandated. While national technology standards for teachers in general education exist to guide educational technology (ET),…

This handbook provides process information on California's relocatable classroom program and contains the application process, information on preparing for delivery of relocatable classroom(s), district responsibilities regarding relocatable classroom(s), and documentation required for reimbursements. It also discusses regulations regarding…

Regulation of on-line counseling is a complex issue. In telemedicine, some have advocated an international worldwide license. The hurdles are many, such as accommodating the variety of educational standards and legal codes, not to mention determining who will administer this license. It seems that a start might be national counselor certification…

An implicit price for child care staff-to-child ratio was used to study demand for child care quality. Direct purchase-of-service contracts or vouchers, which subsidize only providers meeting state regulations, effectively lower implicit price and have little influence on the demand for quality. (Author/SK)

Studied state school counselor certification requirements with respect to program evaluation expectations. Responses of state certification offices show 19 states and the District of Columbia require some form of program evaluation knowledge and skills, but only Colorado and Washington require knowledge of the program evaluation standards…