As part of an annual statewide evaluation process, quantitative information on community college programs is reviewed by the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges. Subsequently, a qualitative assessment is conducted by individual community colleges in response to specific questions raised by the Board. This report contains evaluations of 48…

Prepared by four state-appointed task forces, this report recommends policies and procedures for basic skills education in the State of Washington to assist local and statewide planning. Following introductory material on the mandate and members of the task forces, Section I considers the organization and management of developmental programs,…

A study examined postsecondary vocational education at Minnesota's area vocational-technical institutes (AVTIs). During the study, researchers evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of approximately 800 vocational programs offered by the AVTIs with respect to student and teacher ratios, program duplication, completion rates, placement rates,…

The Education for All Handicapped Students Act (PL 94-142) mandates a referral process for learning disabled or educationally handicapped students. To see how a local agency implemented the federal law, and to describe institutional decision making in general, the day-to-day decision making activities of educators in a California elementary school…

This report builds on and extends existent research on population invariance to new tests and issues. The authors lay the foundation for a deeper understanding of the use of population invariance measures in a wide variety of practical contexts. The invariance of linear, equipercentile and IRT equating methods are examined using data from five…

This report analyzes a set of interlocking placement and labeling practices that heavily influence access to educational opportunities in the nation's largest urban school systems. The practices analyzed include high school admission, within-school tracking and grouping, and grade promotion and retention. Study conclusions and related…

The purpose of this forum was to examine critical issues in the implementation of supported employment from a variety of perspectives and to provide recommendations for future improvement. Eight invited papers and discussions were organized into four topics: issues related to time-limited funding; disabilities other than mental retardation;…

This practicum attempted to increase parental understanding and acceptance of the process for referral, screening, testing, and selecting children for a gifted program in a northern Florida community; to improve the self-concept of children who were not found to be eligible; and to decrease the time spent by school personnel in resolving problems…

Several studies of mathematics education have singled out the early and rigid ability grouping as one of the principal reasons for mathematics underachievement in the United States. Public schools in the United States engage in extensive sorting of students into sharply differentiated curricula by the end of sixth or seventh grade. This study…

This book addresses some of the important considerations surrounding the use of tests and assessment procedures when applied to students who are culturally, linguistically, and/or socioeconomically different from mainstream North Americans. Chapter 1 introduces the problems of using standards based on a white Anglo-Saxon perspective to assess and…

The Consortium for Institutional Effectiveness and Student Success in the Community College was established in 1988 to foster programs in support of the teaching and learning process, student retention and success strategies, and institutional effectiveness. Administered at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) in Oregon, the consortium currently has…

New Beginning is a transitional program for limited-English-proficient (LEP) secondary school students in Dade County, Florida whose prior school experience was interrupted or limited. The program currently serves 102 students in four schools. Most participants are Hispanic or Haitian. Students are selected by district-wide criteria and grouped in…

In spring and fall 1988, a two-phase study was conducted at Nassau Community College to evaluate two courses in the mathematics program: Preparatory Mathematics (MAT 001) and Introductory Algebra (MAT 002). Pre- and post-tests for the classes were administered to assess student learning outcomes. The first phase of the study examined aspects of…

The Part-Time Jobs portion of the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) Program in New York City provided job-readiness training and job placements in an effort to motivate students to improve academic achievement and school attendance. Programs were implemented at schools with a student attendance rate at or below the citywide median…

The purpose of this study was to describe the recent extent and distribution of work experience of young people in Scotland, using data from the Scottish Young People's Survey (SYPS). SYPS, based on a 10 percent sample of all schools in Scotland, is conducted biennially in spring by mail and achieves a response rate of around 80 percent. In the…