The globalization of higher education has resulted in a number of British institutions applying for American accreditation. In 2002, the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education admitted its first American member. All these institutions must therefore confront the need to satisfy two very different approaches to the assurance of quality…

Peter Tymms has written recently ("BERJ", August 2004) on the subject of measuring whether standards are rising in English and mathematics in primary schools based on pupil outcomes from national end of key stage tests. This article takes the position that the performance data debate is an interesting one but peripheral to a far bigger…

In this article, the author discusses the trends of advanced placement classes in American high schools. At Sharpstown High School, advanced placement classes have long been reserved for the academically well-to-do. Other students, a majority of them poor and members of racial or ethnic minorities, never considered the rigorous, college-level…

It is readily apparent that testing raises academic standards at both the state and the federal levels. The three Rs currently touted as aims for school improvement--rigor, relevance, and relationships--can be applied to testing as well. The connection between standardized testing and rigor can be easily made, while the relevance of testing is…

The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality and Georgia State University sent research teams into six southeastern and southern states to find out if the increased accountability policies are having positive or negative effects at the classroom level. The teams found strong support for standards-based reform and for state accountability systems.…

In today's growing technological age of educational software and interactive Internet teaching/learning websites, it is important to note that educators must take the time to see that the interactive electronic experiences their students are involved meet the appropriate standards, hence been evaluated. This article provides the readers with an…

To improve literacy achievement, the authors developed consensus scoring and peer planning as a process of professional development and school improvement. This process allows teachers to (1) gain an increased understanding of the content and performance standards that guide their instruction; (2) work together to assess student work; (3) work…

The Quality in Undergraduate Education project (QUE) is an equity project, founded on a belief that a high-quality public baccalaureate education should be accessible to all students. QUE is a collaboration among twenty-one colleges and universities in four states (California, Georgia, Maryland, and Nevada). It groups regional two- and four-year…

Two key components of recent educational reform are (a) new attention to writing as an important academic skill, and (b) the establishment of national and state standards for student achievement. State standards for writing vary considerably in their form and specificity. Many are not listed separately but are included within integrated language…

In this article, the authors describe an alignment and content analysis of the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA) for students with disabilities. The WAA is an assessment of the academic performance of students with significant disabilities and is an alternative to the traditional on-demand achievement test. Alternate assessments like the WAA…

The standards-based reform movement has led to increased emphasis on tests, coupled with rewards and sanctions, as the basis for accountability systems. These strategies have often had unintended consequences that undermine access to education for low-achieving students rather than enhancing it. This article argues that testing is information for…

Explores the consequences of integrated choice/accountability policies for school organization and governance, examining the constitutional context of school authority, identifying historical trends in the exercise of authority by various stakeholders, presenting a model for understanding governance today, describing school choice and performance…

Examines turbulence in U.S. education, explaining how today's changing educational policy environment causes new frustrations. Suggests that federal, state, local, and site- level are current sources of indecision and struggle that have implications for today's choice of direction concerning inquiry and leadership for public education. Discusses…

Examines California's Public School Accountability Act within the K-12 policy and political context, asserting that the new accountability imposes a new regulatory scheme on California's schools that adds to the "regulatory baggage" schools already carry. Suggestes that simply adding one more layer of regulation without reassessing the…

The officially reported impressive rises in standards in mathematics and English in primary schools since 1995 are challenged. The article looks at the increases from four different perspectives. First, the general pattern of change is considered. Secondly, the statutory test data are compared with the results from several different studies. These…