Institutions of higher education are responding to increasing demands for accountability at all levels of government. The demands are also coming from regional accrediting associations in the form of a call for institutions to document their efforts in the areas of effectiveness and outcome assessment. This paper describes briefly this…

This study analyzed the effects of a kindergarten phonological awareness training program, STeps Into Reading (STIR) on the number of special education referrals, classifications, and retentions in a rural elementary school in New York. These numbers were compared prior to and after the program's implementation. STIR is based on research in the…

A strategy is proposed for combining scores from multiple-choice achievement measures with performance assessments. The specific situation discussed involves the revision of a curriculum-based multiple-choice and performance assessment testing program for grades 1 through 6 for a large school district. Reading, language-arts, and mathematics…

During kindergarten students learn that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways. In grade 1 students study about making rules by direct democracy and by representative democracy. This concept is developed further in grade 2 as students learn about electing the people who make the laws, carry out the laws, and enforce the laws. This…

This final report describes a project to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a framework, the James Madison University (JMU) Active Learner Approach, for course-specific strategy assessment and tutorial instruction for 46 college students with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Individual sections address…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project at Central Missouri State University to develop and pilot test a Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) model as a replacement for the course-credit completion paradigm in 15 academic departments. The pilot CPI project was phase 4 of a 5-phase Decade of Transformation…

The purpose of this paper is to report on the progress of work done by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education on developing valid yet efficient measures of instructional content and its relationship to assessment and standards. The goal is to help develop new methodologies to assess the relationships between what is taught and what is…

This curriculum presents lessons on the use of public transportation and is intended to encourage special education teachers and paraprofessionals to incorporate the skills and concepts of public transit usage into the educational program of elementary school children with disabilities. Six sequential lessons culminate with a trip using public…

This book contains a collection of formal and informal reading assessments for use with students in Grades K-8. These assessments assist the teacher in targeting areas of strength and weakness, in monitoring student reading development, and in planning appropriate instruction. The book's assessments (some in both English and Spanish) range from…

This book examines current assessment practices in higher education and offers suggestions on planning assessment programs, carrying them out, and using the results to improve academic programs. Examples from all types of institutions (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and comprehensive, doctoral and research institutions) are used to…

This guide is designed to assist districts in developing and implementing Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA) as an integral part of the career/vocational program for students with disabilities. The document begins with a User's Guide that describes each part of the guide and makes suggestions for its use. Part 1 explains what CBVA is…

This discussion of collaboration between general and special educators focuses on selection of instructional interventions in mainstream settings and curriculum-based methods of evaluating programs designed to increase the academic performance of students with and without disabilities. It then suggests ways to incorporate data-based decision…

A study investigated the multiyear effects of evidence-based literacy practices and a program to prevent early reading failure in one elementary school. Results indicate teachers did implement new evidence-based practices, use of these practices resulted in increases in silent reading, and growth in reading fluency was substantial overall.…

A discussion of language disorders that often occur with learning disabilities focuses on definitions, characteristics, alternative assessment methods, and service delivery models and interventions. Use of standardized test batteries, curriculum-based language assessment, and portfolio assessment is reviewed. Principles and methods to enhance…

This article outlines a five-step process for use in selecting and adopting curriculum-based measures designed to facilitate a linked system approach and promote family-centered, collaborative, early childhood intervention practices. Within a linked system approach, assessment information guides the development of goals and objectives, which in…