This report evaluates 12 high schools in the New American High Schools (NAHS) program. Launched in 1996, NAHS is a U.S. Department of Education research project that was developed to showcase school-reform practices in selected schools. The report is based on a study that used NAHS schools as a "laboratory" for researching reform…

In this document, standards for knowledge and skill acquisition of Maine students in the visual and performing arts are identified. The document serves as a guideline for teachers regarding what students should know and be able to do at various checkpoints throughout arts education. The arts identified include dance, music, theater, and visual…

The "Pathways to Literacy" program was designed by teachers for teachers as a professional development activity to integrate standards with a reading and writing curriculum. It is intended as a how-to guide to help teachers learn to do a better job of implementing standards in their classrooms, or for related purposes such as improving…

The focus on raising standards reflects a national trend in which New York State is considered a leader. The new requirements adopted by the State Board of Regents have generally been supported by business leaders and all major educational policy advocacy groups. There are positive signs that achievement is improving, but there is a performance…

The North Carolina Competency Tests of Reading and Mathematics requirement is a result of legislation enacted initially by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1977. In response to the legislation, the State Board of Education requires high school students in North Carolina public schools to meet the competency tests requirement in order to…

This workbook contains two parts: (1) summary of required elements for state accountability systems; and (2) state response and activities for meeting state accountability system requirements. The purpose of the document is to look at the state of Wyoming's education system as whole and to decipher if requirements set by the U.S. Department of…

There is broad agreement that public education must be accountable. Florida's current accountability system is, however, not the only model available. Accountability does not have to mean tax money provided or withheld on the basis of test scores. This brief describes the current federal mandates for state accountability, professional standards…

In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is based on the premise and promise that in 12 years, every child will be at a minimum proficiency on the state reading and mathematics assessments. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that every student be tested. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is the process…

The Educational Policy Reform Research Institute (EPRRI) and the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) held a policy symposium entitled "Ensuring Accountability for All Children in an Era of Standards-Based Reform: Alternate Achievement Standards" February 4-6, 2004 at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington,…

Education is a fundamental value of the people of Florida, whose state constitution even calls for a "high-quality system of free public schools." But rather than live up to this commitment, the state--led by Governor Jeb Bush and a Republican legislature--has embarked on a series of programs that undermine public education. This report examines…

In response to the need to ensure that standards fulfill their promise of supporting a system of education that leaves no child behind, McREL created a multimedia, multi-site, ongoing nationwide dialogue related to standards-based reform efforts. These dialogues provided participants with opportunities to share underlying assumptions, beliefs, and…

An "accredited secondary school," as the term is used in this bulletin, is a school which is equipped to prepare students for colleges requiring at least 14 units for unconditioned admission and which has been investigated or approved for this purpose by one of the following agencies: A State officer of education, a university or college…

This Policy Brief explores two very different aspects of accountability and curriculum. One traditional view incorporates standards into a system of accountability and school curricula. An alternative and currently popular perspective sees accountability as not a system but a strategy, and attempts to fix significant responsibility for student…

Author considered the question of whether or not there is any purpose or value in grading, and if so, whether the innovations in grading systems have been beneficial. (Author/RK)