A survey of 20 instructors at Broward Community College revealed faculty concern about underprepared students, grade inflation, de-emphasis of cognitive learning, falling academic standards, instructor evaluation by students, and objective testing. Suggestions for reform to accommodate diverse students while maintaining academic standards are…

On April 5, 2002, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state into compliance with the provisions of the following federal laws: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1994, P.L. 103-382 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)…

In response to a need for curricular support, the Idaho State Department of Education gathered teams of exemplary educators from throughout the state to write courses of study related to the original five subject areas within Idaho's Achievement Standards. In turn, all of the state's school districts received hard copies as well as online access…

Smart testing is concerned with what is tested and why, whether the testing instruments are up to the task, and how test results are used. Smart testing provides information in a timely fashion, and uses results to make accurate generalizations drawn from the data. This report is concerned with three smart testing components: (1) strong state…

This document, "Grade Expectations for Vermont's Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities" (hereafter "Vermont's Grade Expectations"), is an important companion to "Vermont's Framework." These Grade Expectations (GEs) serve the same purposes as "Vermont's Framework," but articulate learning…

A survey was conducted among 139 elementary public, private, parochial, charter, and home school teachers to help Kingman Museum in Battle Creek, Michigan re-establish educational programming with area schools after having been closed for two years. The purpose of the study was to identify museum programs that teachers are most likely to use, the…

Many schools are under pressure to meet new standards of learning mistakenly believe that they must adopt a narrow curriculum that imposes strict boundaries on what students are taught. In this book, Susan M. Drake and Rebecca C. Burns address this issue by offering strategies for synchronizing standards across the disciplines. At the heart of the…

This report is the last in a three-part series examining the relationship between school resources and student achievement in California. The central focus in all three reports has been the standards-based reform of California public schools. Between 1995 and 1998, California introduced academic content standards specifying what students should…

Most states do not offer reciprocity for other state assessment tests. That practice has an adverse effect on school-aged, dependent children of military service members. President Clinton's 1997 solution was a national standardized assessment test for public school students. Critics stated it would cost $96,000,000 to deliver the test. Florida…

Under the 1998 reauthorization of Title II of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the U.S. secretary of education is required to issue annual reports to Congress on the state of teacher quality and teacher preparation nationwide. This report is the third annual report on teacher quality and outlines the progress that occurred in the past year and the…

Raising academic standards for all students and measuring student achievement to hold schools accountable for educational progress are central strategies for promoting educational excellence and equity in our schools. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reformed Federal educational programs to support State efforts to establish challenging…

This high school learning activity tasks students to plan and produce a black history video focusing on the Harlem Renaissance. The video is to include historical and cultural background, photographs, and interviews with prominent African Americans associated with that period. The activity describes the process; lists resources; gives learning…

This guide is part of the Delaware Department of Education's ongoing efforts to provide assistance and support to local school districts in their development of a standards-based curriculum. The guide details the essential skills and knowledge that elementary students must attain at each grade level in English language arts, mathematics, science,…

Theater, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways children learn about life--about actions and consequences, about customs and beliefs, about others and themselves. Theater arts benefit the student because they cultivate the whole person, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition,…

This publication presents science, mathematics, and technology programs that are fully aligned with Vermont's Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities. It also identifies elementary, middle, and high school programs that incorporate content and best practices as identified by the Vermont framework. The materials in the accompanying list…