At the foundation of the Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS) programs are ACT's College Readiness Standards. The Standards offer learning strategies that are likely to help students meet state standards and acquire the more advanced concepts associated with higher EPAS test scores and, more importantly, increased college readiness.…

This report offers five recommendations for strengthening Ohio's education renewal framework and accelerating the pace of improvement in the months and years ahead. The five recommendations include: (1) Creating world-class standards and stronger accountability mechanisms; (2) Ensure that funding is fairly allocated among all children and schools;…

ACT is often asked whether student scores on the ACT[R] test can be used to make "norm-referenced" or "standards-referenced" comparisons. Norm-referenced interpretations compare students to one another, while standards-referenced interpretations measure student performance against predefined content standards. This brief shows…

In late January through early March of 2003, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) grade 4 and 8 reading and mathematics assessments were administered to representative samples of students in approximately 100 public schools in each state. The results of these assessments were announced in November 2003. Each state also carried…

This dissertation explores the use of history of mathematics in middle school mathematics. A rationale for the importance of the incorporation of historical dimensions (HD) of mathematics is provided through a review of the literature. The literature covers pedagogical, philosophical, psychological, and social issues and provides arguments for the…

This article provides suggestions for curriculum modifications that may be necessary to meet the new Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Standard C.9, Medical, Functional, and Environmental Implications of Disability. Specifically addressed are (a) goals and objectives for meeting the new standards, (b) suggestions for new curricular units,…

The use of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) in higher education to assess RPL candidates for admission into programmes of study met with a lot of criticism from faculty academics. Lecturers viewed the possibility of admitting large numbers of under-qualified adult learners, as a threat to the institution's reputation, or an erosion of academic…

A herd of camels meanders through the 115-degree heat as sand billows across the abandoned stretch of desert that once was to be a branch campus of George Mason University. Nearby, alongside the road that leads into the tall sand dunes is a sign that reads: "REDUCE SPEED: MOVING SANDS AHEAD." The sign is intended for motorists, of…

There is a wide variety of universities, university campuses and university courses in Australia available to those interested in pursuing a higher education degree. This paper examines the impact of increasing competition for entrance to university on the educational outcomes for students from the government school sector. Using Melbourne as a…

This case was written for use in courses dealing with school administration, philosophy of education, or ethics in educational leadership. It deals with the ethical dilemma of an assistant principal at a low-performing, urban high school. Caught between a principal and a teacher who have different views on plagiarism, the assistant principal must…

This article presents a text of a speech delivered by the author at the Foundation for Technology Education (FTE) Spirit of Excellence breakfast in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this speech, the author talked about the meaning of excellence. In order to pursue excellence, the author suggested that people in the field of technology education should…

Considerable effort has been made over the past decade to address the needs of learners in large urban districts through scaleable reform initiatives. We examine the effects of a multifaceted scaling reform that focuses on supporting standards based science teaching in urban middle schools. The effort was one component of a systemic reform effort…

High school teachers and administrators are often shocked to learn that universities consider their graduates unprepared for college work. They're especially chagrined when their most successful students seem ill prepared for college work. Author Kevin St. Jarre proposes that secondary schools spend more effort on ensuring that students know how…

Educators and governments are paying increasing attention to international comparisons as they seek to develop effective policies to improve the performance of their education systems. Data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are useful in revealing best practices across the world. Current data show that the United…

California is one of 4 states that have accelerated addition and subtraction basic-facts memorization. This article reports on teacher practices, first-grade achievement of the standard, and a broader conception of basic-facts competence. Even among students from the highest performing schools, fewer than 11% made progress toward the memorization…