This paper outlines suggested guidelines for oral communication curricula that are an important step in establishing educational standards for teaching students how to communicate orally in the diverse situations they encounter. It notes the guidelines should be adapted to the unique capabilities and needs of students. The paper contains three…

One way to achieve a higher level of agreement on the nature of science (NOS) within the science education community is to embrace the two major documents, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993) and National Science Education Standards (1996). Both Benchmarks and Standards have many statements on the nature of science that can be used as the basis…

These proceedings include an overview of the meeting, at which 75 leaders from secondary and postsecondary education, business, and state agencies met to discuss competency-based education systems and updates on the status of competency-based admissions in a number of states. The proceedings also provide a list of suggested regional activities to…

In this unit, students develop concepts of "time" as they place events in temporal order. The focus is on the routine events of a school day, the days of a week, the months of a year, and the use of a calendar. The 4-week unit provides background information for the teacher, presents literacy links, identifies materials needed, and…

This document outlines the content standards for science in the state of Colorado. The document is organized into six standards, each of which is subdivided into a set of guiding questions exemplifying the standard and a series of lists defining what is expected of students at each grade level within the standard. The standards are that students…

This document outlines the content standards for mathematics in the state of North Carolina. It is organized into four sets of grade levels: K-2; 3-5; 6-8; and high school courses. This guide establishes competency goals and objectives for the teaching and learning of mathematics in North Carolina. Outlines of the state position on such topics as…

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) document presents activities on the properties of galaxies for additional curriculum support. The activities presented in this document include: (1) "How Big Is the Universe"; (2) "Identifying Galaxies"; (3) "Classifying Galaxies Using Hubble's Fork Diagram"; (4) "Identifying Unusual…

This issue offers a collection of timely topics focused on mathematics and science education. It uncovers the past, present, and future of the national standards movement in mathematics and science education with two articles entitled "Setting Standards for Excellence" and "On the Road to REAL Progress." A close-up look at students doing real-life…

This policy brief reviews developments in standards-based reform and explores new ways for holding schools and districts accountable for discharging their missions. It draws on several Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) studies of accountability, many of which are still in progress. The report examines characteristics of new…

This report discusses evolution in science education, evaluating the state-by-state treatment of evolution in science standards. It explains the role of evolution as an organizing principle for all the historical sciences. Seven sections include: "Introduction" (the key role of evolution in the sciences); "How Do Good Standards Treat Biological…

The contents of this "Tool Kit" have been developed as resources to support state efforts to develop and implement rigorous standards for student achievement. The components have been planned as tools for planning and evaluating the development and implementation of content and performance standards. The following components are included: (1)…

This booklet describes the rationale, design, and structure for conferences organized for school principals. Drawing on the experiences of New York City's Community School District 2, it describes standards-based professional development for school leaders. It opens with a description of the District Network for Standards-Based Reform--a project…

Accreditation is a process that gives public recognition to institutions that meet certain standards. It is a promise that an institution will provide the quality of education it claims to offer. Accreditation assures the student that the institution operates on a sound financial basis, has an approved program of study, qualified instructors,…

This document looks at the performance of Illinois schools. The positives include: (1) more schools are meeting tough No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements; and (2) math scores in all grades have improved significantly over the past five years. However, there continues to be room for improvement, including: (1) improving reading at all grade…

This publication raises several points of discussion concerning the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and its future. Two years after its enactment, NCLB implementation proceeds by trial and error. Its ultimate success or failure remains unclear. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality requirements are not always compatible with existing…