This guide for parents explains implications of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires the participation of students with disabilities in statewide and districtwide assessments, leading to greater accountability by the educational system for educational results for all students. The guide notes that…

Assessments should improve performance by providing usable feedback, and should not merely audit it. Problems with educational accountability policies stem from a flawed view of student assessment. Intellectual excellence cannot be obtained via one-time mandated tests composed of proxies for real challenges. Common standards should be developed…

The state initiatives described in this report are geared toward meeting the national education goals. Although they vary considerably, the initiatives emphasize the importance of establishing high-level goals and standards applicable to all students and providing local flexibility in exchange for accountability. Many initiatives involve: (1)…

A performance audit of the adult correctional education program in Massachusetts resulted in these findings: (1) the department is not adequately carrying out its obligation to educate prison inmates, especially those who are illiterate; (2) the relationship between the department of correction and the division of inmate training and education…

The combination of increasing demands for accountability and the desire to measure a variety of complex educational outcomes makes the use of performance assessment an essential addition to the tools used to profile student achievement. Performance assessment in education is valuable for student assessment and for the assessment of teacher and…

This report presents information on what changes might strengthen the Department of Education's role as the "gatekeeper" for approving schools before their students can receive federal student aid. The review focuses on the proprietary (for profit) school sector. The report shows that adequate controls are not in place within the Department of…

This interim study was conducted to provide descriptive and analytic information about Chapter 1 program operations during the second year of implementation of the Hawkins Stafford Act amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Data were collected through a mail survey administered to Chapter 1 coordinators in 1,600 school…

Since 1988, state governments have been required to collect quarterly from private sector employers gross earnings by Social Security numbers, industry of employment, and county of employment. A study was conducted of 13 states' efforts to use this wage record database as a tool for improving educational accountability and assessing the impact of…

This book presents essays inspired by an October, 1988, conference on recent changes in the relationship between public policy and higher education. The essays appear in five sections, the first of which, titled "Looking Backward: The Historical Context of Public Policy and Higher Education," serves as a retrospective and prospective examination…

In June 1992, the New York State Office of the Comptroller performed an audit of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program (STAP) awards at Bryant and Stratton Business Institute's Buffalo Campus (BC). TAP, the largest student grant and scholarship program administered by the Higher Education Services Corporation…

This paper on identifying education outcomes for students with disabilities proposes a framework for applying an outcome-based approach throughout the education system, by looking at the needs of the three major levels of the system (local, state, and national); defining different uses for the term "outcome" in order to achieve consensus…

A review of the recent literature has yielded a number of concerns about the validity, reliability, cost, efficiency, generalizability, utility, and cultural sensitivity of performance based assessments. The resulting conclusion was that continuing the performance based assessment initiative should be rethought. Suggested alternatives included…

This special hearing, held in Portland, Oregon, addressed the concept of allowing states and local governments more flexibility in their use of federal funds designated for educational programs in exchange for increased state and local accountability. It focused on programs and policies in place or under consideration in the states of Oregon and…

In response to state legislation and a statewide strategic plan that included a recommendation for quality standards and accountability defined as measurable goals and conditions, model standards for California English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult education programs were established. This document describes general standards, defines language…

In 1985 the Arizona Legislature established a 5-year pilot-test program for teachers, under the direction of the Joint Legislative Committee on Career Ladders. Its purpose was to implement and evaluate a process of rewarding teachers based on their actual performance levels, rather than solely on years of experience and/or accumulated college…