Over the last decade, concern over the nation's global economic status and the role of public education in preparing workers has led to a push for standards reform. Two converging reform strategies have emerged: (1) to create a voluntary system of academic standards for K-12 students, and (2) to create a voluntary system of industry-skill…

This document identifies accreditation standards for the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. The first part discusses educational objectives, materials, and services; student services; student success and satisfaction; qualifications of principals, faculty, and staff; admission practices and enrollment…

This handbook provides information about implementing inclusive educational opportunities for high school students with significant cognitive disabilities using modified courses developed or approved by the Manitoba (Canada) Ministry of Education and Training. Individual sections of the handbook address: a description of the modified course…

Resulting from a project undertaken by Iowa's Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) to develop course and program competencies for the assessment of student academic achievement, this plan describes the assessment model developed by the college. Introductory sections describe the process used to develop the plan and provide responses to…

A study examined student writing portfolios to determine improvement of student writing due to instructional changes under the guidelines and standards established for the Kentucky Writing Program. A random sample of 1991-92 and 1994-95 fourth-grade portfolios were analyzed, 10% from each of the 8 elementary schools in the Muhlenberg County school…

This report, based upon studies carried out from 1994-96 by a task force of international educators, focuses on efforts to identify a language and a strategy for improving U.S.-Japan "international education." Several conclusions are reached and discussed in the text: (1) international education can be stimulated by a new transnational…

A desire to raise student achievement levels is leading many educators and parents to work for restructuring and reforming U.S. schools. One of the many areas in which this effort is proving to be complex is the question of changing college admission criteria to respond to the changes in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment that are occurring at…

The Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor met to consider the recommendations of the National Council on Education Standards and Testing. The report recommends the establishment of national education standards, a national system of assessments, and the establishment of a…

This student learning outcomes assessment report from Prince George's Community College (PGCC) in Maryland summarizes findings of several ongoing assessments. Part I provides an executive summary and reviews changes in academic regulations and standards adopted in 1993-94, including: (1) extending minimum standards for academic standing to include…

As part of the educational reform movement, states and local districts have implemented outcomes-based accountability for student outcomes. Outcomes-based accountability systems are using results of both traditional assessments, such as norm-referenced tests, and authentic performance assessments in an effort to measure broad domains of student…

This publication presents approved guidelines for Texas institutions of higher and postsecondary education in the academic preparation of practitioners in the field of fitness for health. Developed in response to the rapid growth of this field, the guidelines identify and recommend the knowledge and expertise required in career preparation, and…

This booklet contains guidelines for the registration of units and qualifications in New Zealand's National Qualifications Framework, a system of education and employment qualifications. An introduction provides an overview of registration, including endorsement, evaluation, and reregistration. Section 2 focuses on registration of unit standards.…

This facilitator's guide, and the videotape it accompanies, is designed to demonstrate ways in which the new visions of science education for the 21st century might be translated into classroom practice. The National Research Council's (NRC) National Science Education Standards, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks…

This paper presents five standards for pedagogy that are applicable across grade levels, student populations, and content areas: joint productive activity; language and literacy development; meaning making; complex thinking; and instructional conversation. These standards emerge from principles and practice that have proven successful with…

This document adapts the U.S. national standards for social studies for use in schools serving American Indian students. Compatible with the national standards, this supplement is broken into material for early grades, middle grades, and high school and is organized around the same 10 thematic strands: culture; time, continuity, and change;…