The philosophy of Nebraska's School-based, Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) is based on the premise that the purpose of assessment is to drive curriculum and instruction to produce student academic achievement gain. It is a locally driven system designed from the classroom up, which recognizes that improved student achievement…

This article presents different views by various professors on the issue of college readiness. Also discussed are the problems encountered by students as a part of college readiness. The discussion stems from a set of alarming statistics about college-completion rates. While nearly three-fourths of recent high school graduates enter some form of…

Politicians have been fascinated with choice and diversity in schooling provision for more than a decade now and this intense interest shows no sign of abating. In this article, the author suggests that the precise connection between choice and diversity in schooling provision is very little understood, and that the relationship between them…

According to the DfES Standards website, the Key Stage 3 National Strategy is part of the Government's agenda for transforming secondary education. It is a whole school improvement strategy which aims to provide "a platform for professional development across the school through its emphasis on teaching and learning"; and to foster…

In June 2004, three out of four public schools in Florida failed to meet a new federal standard for school improvement, including one arts school that had earned "A" ratings on statewide tests for 4 consecutive years (Shanklin, 2004). Why are so many schools failing, including "A" schools? In this article, the author explains…

This article describes one urban classroom and the language and literacy practices jointly constructed by a veteran urban teacher, Lynn Gatto, and her 3rd grade students. Drawing from two ethnographic studies of Gattos 2nd-4th grade looped classroom, we argue that Gatto and her students use the interplay between strategies and tactics (De Certeau,…

Panelists in an operational standard-setting study were asked to share their thoughts in written form at important points in the process itself--before the meeting started, after training, after completing the 1st and 2nd sets of ratings, immediately following the discussion between Rounds 1 and 2, and so on. The item mapping method of Plake and…

The authors describe a potential disconnect between research and practice in literacy assessment and instruction. They organize discussion around professionally recognized standards for the evaluation of educational assessments and assessment practices. These standards address both technical aspects of tests (e.g., validity; reliability;…

Policy makers have initiated a dramatic period of standards-based reform for New York State students, an effort of great relevance across the United States. Although comprehensive high school examinations and state-endorsed Regents diplomas are over 100 years old, the demand that all students must earn college-preparatory diplomas is new. This…

The term "grade descriptors" has commonly been used to refer to the practice of describing for students characteristic work that would merit different grades. This paper reports the results of a phenomenographic study on the different ways that academic staff understood and practised grade descriptors as forms of standards-based assessment. Four…

The call for curriculum integration "with" and "through" the arts is evident within many elementary school environments. Arts specialists are frequently asked to link their classroom curriculum to other content area instructional goals and standards. Furthermore, fully one third of national, state and local content standards in the arts (music,…

This paper describes a gateway testing program designed to ensure that students acquire basic skills in freshman calculus. Students must demonstrate they have mastered standards for "Absolutely Basic Competency"--the Calculus ABCs--in order to pass the course with a grade of C or better. We describe the background, standards, and testing program.…

Standards-based reform has been America's premier education strategy for more than a decade. Its many backers seek stronger school and student performance and more equal opportunities for children, especially disadvantaged youngsters. Education is attracting more high-level attention and political energy than ever before. Yet standards-based…

Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology was released in April 2000 by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA, 2000). This was the first attempt by the ITEA to set forth comprehensive specifications regarding what students should know and be able to do within each of four grade bands from…

This article features the Korean National Curriculum of Physical Education. The national physical education curriculum--which is applied to elementary, middle, and high school--has significantly influenced educational practice in Korea. Since the first Korean National Curriculum of Physical Education (KNCPE) was established in 1955, the KNCPE has…