Addressing current research on the foundational skills of reading for the state of Alaska, this booklet is designed to get the most current information available about how children learn to read into the hands of everyone who can help children learn and grow as readers. It outlines previously researched core abilities including phonemic awareness,…

This paper is designed to provide Iowa educators with information on reporting results of assessments of students with disabilities, including grading, diplomas, and transcripts. A question-and-answer format addresses: (1) indication of the provision of reasonable accommodations on students' report cards; (2) honor rolls; (3) pass/fail grading…

This handbook, intended for K-12 teachers in Colorado, is a tool to help educators weave academic content standards, assessments, and career development methods into an integrated and comprehensive educational strategy that prepares all students to meet their future goals. The examples contained in the handbook were created to provide a vision of…

This paper examines the potential benefits of standards-based instruction for English language learners (ELLs), presents a backward mapping process for designing standards-based instructional units, and reviews the design of two standards-based units for ELLs. Most of the document is in the form of a table to make the standards-based process…

The Benchmark Standards were established by the Massachusetts Department of Education to: bring more districts into the information age; encourage every district in the state to provide an appropriate local infrastructure for information technology; help districts set realistic goals for their Local Technology Plans (LTPs); and ensure that…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

From the outbreak of World War I in Europe until the signing of the Versailles Treaty, President Woodrow Wilson's administration proposed and implemented an extraordinary number of programs that affected people in their everyday activities. In August 1917 Congress passed the Food and Fuel Control Act, also known as the Lever Act, which gave the…

By late winter 1933, the United States had already endured more than 3 years of economic depression. During the previous summer, the Democratic Party platform had unveiled a generalized plan for economic recovery. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set about to prepare the nation to accept expansion of federal power since he recognized that the…

Inquiring into families, communities, states, nations, and various peoples of the world through history engages students in the aspirations, struggles, accomplishments, and failures of real people in various aspects of their lives. The ultimate goal of social studies in Idaho is to develop the civic competence and civic participation of Idaho's…

This paper recounts how one urban-based university addressed the need for teachers to acquire the knowledge and skills required to take on increasing types of leadership roles. The university formed a partnership with a nonprofit organization to design and implement a 32-semester hour master's degree program to address the issue. The program…

Establishing a solid standards-and-assessment system is only the first step toward the ultimate goal of bringing all students to the standards. But without this first step, all others will fall short. The paper explains the essential role of standards and assessments in improving student achievement and offers solutions to challenges districts…

Arts education is a collective term that denotes learning and instruction in four distinct subject areas: dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts. This handbook suggests what is comprised in the study of the four K-12 arts programs; the frameworks consist of goals in each arts area developed for the K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grade levels. In the…

The Long Island Pine Barrens is Long Island's premier ecosystem. It overlies the greatest quantity of the purest drinking water remaining on Long Island and boasts the greatest diversity of plants and animals in New York State. This curriculum guide provides background and suggested inquiry-based in-class and field trip experiences to use with…

This revised edition of the Alaska standards booklet has expanded on the earlier content standards to add standards for employability, cultural responsiveness, performance, and library/information literacy. The State of Alaska has called on school districts to adopt the state standards, and the state will assess how well students meet the…

In response to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), "Systems for State Science Assessment" explores the ideas and tools that are needed to assess science learning at the state level. This book provides a detailed examination of K-12 science assessment: looking specifically at what should be measured and how to measure it. Along…