This document is a companion to the North Dakota Social Studies Standards (December 2000), and provides descriptions of levels of student performance and achievement in relation to the state standards and benchmarks. It is designed for use by all educators in grades K-12. Components of the document include: content standards (statement that…

The 2002 newsletter of Senate Rostrum contains the February and October issues. The February issue covers the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges' January 2002 hearing on Draft A of the proposed new accreditation standards. Members of the Academic Senate attended the meeting in order to voice their concerns regarding the new…

These guides describe the New York State testing program and other performance measures for elementary and secondary school students and provide answers to frequently asked questions about these assessments. The New York State School Report Card is composed of "An Overview of Academic Performance" and "A Comprehensive Information…

This guide, in English- and Spanish-language versions, shares with parents information about the South Carolina Curriculum Standards. The standards outline state requirements for children's learning and what students across the state should be able to do in certain subjects. The guide lists seven key reasons parents should be aware of the new…

This CD-ROM presents six videos that feature veteran middle and high school teachers in action in their classrooms. Each video offers links to supplemental education resources, including innovative lesson plans. The six videos are: "Monsters and Myths" (a humanities unit for middle school students); "The Bleeding Edge" (a thematic…

This study examined whether New Jersey students of elementary teachers trained in the use of standards-aligned curriculum materials and the nature of standards themselves would submit standards-meeting work after they were taught the standards-aligned activities. Two urban districts received funding to train teachers to meet the new science…

The Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) is a collaborative mathematics, science, and technology education reform effort among six states in central Appalachia--Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The project aims to stimulate sustainable systemic improvements in these subjects for K-12 students in a…

According to the American Association for Advancement of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) and its Technology for All Americans Project (TfAAP), technology education should begin in kindergarten. Educators in Taiwan have also advocated beginning technology education in…

This book critiques the ideology of testing, describing a very different positive vision forged in the success stories of small public schools that were created in Boston and New York. These nationally acclaimed schools relied upon trusting teachers to use their own judgement, inviting parents into close relationships with schools, and surrounding…

This report presents the case-study findings from a cross-state investigation focused on Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, intended to deepen understanding around the influence of high stakes accountability on teacher learning and the capacity of districts and schools to support instructional practices…

The process of accreditation review in the U.S. serves two primary functions: quality assurance and continual improvement. The experienced educators who voluntarily serve on accreditation teams apply common standards of quality that serve students and meet public accountability expectations and offer suggestions and recommendations for…

Adult education standards are the cornerstone for quality teaching, quality learning, and quality lives. The Arizona Adult Education Standards Initiative (Standards Initiative) represents a proactive effort by Arizona's adult education community to ensure rigor and consistency in program content and student outcomes for adult learners throughout…

Standards for Special Education, amended June 2004 requires school boards in Alberta to identify and deliver effective programming for students with special education needs in grades 1-12. It promotes consistent and enhanced quality of educational practice within the province, so that irrespective of location, students with special education needs…

This paper describes the background of various accountability systems, discusses policy issues related to the use of educational accountability information, and offers a history of the school-accountability law in Nevada. The paper concludes that because policymakers continue to express concerns about uniform measurements and comparability, it is…

This guide outlines curriculum and performance standards for second language instruction in Wisconsin elementary and secondary schools. An introductory section describes the rationale for development of, and use of the standards for foreign language instruction and briefly discusses applications across the curriculum. A second section gives an…