Describes design and the design process. Relates design to "A Nation at Risk"; "Goals 2000: Educate America Act"; the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills; the "Voluntary National Content and Performance Standards"; and "New Performance Standards." Discusses the role of art teachers in the adoption of design-based approaches. (CMK)

Discusses assessment in a standards-based setting, focusing on the importance of assessing subject content in social studies and the tensions teachers experience when incorporating standards and assessment. Describes a personal retrospective assignment on the civil rights movement, provides scoring guides for the assignment, and includes a student…

Two award-winning Canadian educational researchers describe how the goals of standards-based reform can be met without getting bogged down in overstandardization, under-resourcing, deprofessionalization, and curricular narrowness. The sense of urgency driving educational change needs to be accompanied by a sense of agency and energy in teachers so…

Explores expectations regarding about student performance in educational systems of high-achieving countries using data from the United States and 21 other high-achieving countries that participated in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Demonstrates that levels of standards relate to levels of student attainment in…

If education is intrinsically about learning to cope with change, encouraging personal growth and self-knowledge, and expanding horizons to encompass the wider world, study abroad ought to be part of the undergraduate experience of every student. Financial aid and academic standards belong at the core of institutional efforts to expand overseas…

Reviews and evaluates compensatory and conjunctive standard-setting strategies, presenting and discussing the rationales for each approach. Results of a comparison of the two approaches for a state high school certification writing test provide insight into the problem of choosing either strategy. (SLD)

Assessment and accountability have played prominent roles in many reform efforts during the past 50 years. Reviews features of assessment and accountability that influence the trustworthiness of information provided and impact educational practices and student learning. Discusses reform based on assessment and accountability, describes salient…

A network of Best Practice Centers located throughout Virginia provides convenient resources, support, technical assistance, and professional development for schools working to achieve higher standards. The most common needs for assistance were in curriculum alignment, test data use to improve instruction, content-area teaching strategies, and…

Reviews features of assessment and accountability that influence the trustworthiness of information provided and impact educational practices and student learning. Discusses reform based on assessment and accountability, describes salient features in reform efforts, and makes suggestions for assessment and accountability systems. (SLD)

Analyzes the Adey Report on National Standards and Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education regarding its potential contribution to Australia's teacher education reform, identifying the logic of its arguments and the context in which it places itself, discussing how it constructs graduates, exploring its goal of preparing a profession, and…

Describes 12 things principals can do to raise student performance on state tests, such as hiring quality teachers, making accountability a schoolwide responsibility, aligning the school curriculum with state standards, emphasizing higher level thinking skills, and integrating instruction on test-taking skills. (PKP)

As measured by the number of published articles in U.S. newspapers and wire services in the Nexis database, references to "adequate yearly progress"--the key benchmark for school performance under NCLB--nearly quadrupled between December 2002 and December 2003. State and local news outlets have devoted significant space to their state…

Standards define today's educational landscape. In physical education, standards at both the national and state levels have become a driving force that shapes curriculum and instruction. Although all students are expected to meet the learning standards, teachers are often challenged with offering instruction that allows students with disabilities…

In this article, the author argues that now as never before, education is the key to opportunity, essential to a strong America. In an age when people compete with workers on every continent and information flows across oceans, high-wage jobs are more dependent than ever on high-level skills. The author suggests that together, an America that…

This profile describes the key features of the examination and assessment systems of Romania. It provides a snapshot taken at the end of more than a decade of major political, social and economic changes, when it is widely accepted that Romania has made significant advances in its educational reforms and that important innovations are now becoming…