This volume theorizes, describes, and explains practices and some specific programs designed to help meet the needs and demands of a diverse student population. The central point of this volume is that curriculum, instruction, and assessment in middle-level education is a dynamic, interrelated system undergoing change. The book contains the…

Colleges of education in Arkansas are required to obtain accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This group refers the accreditation requirements to the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA). One of the NPBEA responsibilities is that of establishing structure and maintaining…

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education institutions that prepare principals, superintendents, and curriculum directors now have the responsibility to comply with Educational Leadership Constituent Council standards and reporting processes. This revised system of accreditation requires institutions preparing educational…

This document contains results for 1998-1999 for several North Carolina state testing programs. The Grade 3 Pretest is a multiple-choice reading and mathematics test administered to students in the first 3 weeks of third grade. This pretest was administered to more than 101,000 students in the beginning of the 1998-1999 school year. Results show…

This publication describes the pilot Teacher Dialogue Forums, which provided Georgia teachers with an opportunity to: learn about current research on teaching and the teaching profession; share their views and learn from colleagues; and let their voices be heard and used to shape practice and policy in teaching. A total of 250 teachers…

This collection of articles discusses the realities of Professional Development Schools (PDS) from the perspectives of school teachers, college faculty, college administrators, and other educational administrators. The articles focus on the five dimensions of PDS work (institutionalization, equity, standards and quality, inquiry, and financing).…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

In the rush to implement world-class standards supported by systems of accountability in public schools, education leaders have compromised the educational future of Hispanic students by making high-stakes decisions based on inaccurate and inadequate testing information. State policies often require that Hispanic students be assessed in English…

This curriculum framework presents a philosophy of arts education, synthesizes current research, and sets learning standards for students from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The curriculum framework's core concept is that experience in the creative process is essential for all learners, and that, in the arts,…

Beginning in the 1992-93 school year, the North Carolina State Board of Education authorized the administration of North Carolina-developed end-of-grade tests aligned with the state's "Standard Course of Study." These curriculum-based tests were administered to over 553,000 students in grades 3 through 8 at the end of the 1997-98 school…

This document provides basic information about the Statewide Student Assessment System in New Mexico. There are four components of the Statewide Student Assessment System that are guided by the State Department of Education. Each component serves a specific purpose and targets specific grade levels. The purpose of the reading assessment of grades…

This summary report provides information about three of New Mexico's statewide assessments in 1997-1998. In spring 1998, the CTBS5/Terra Nova Survey Plus achievement test was administered to approximately 65,000 students in grades 4, 6, and 8 as part of the New Mexico Achievement Assessment Program. With three exceptions, the median national…

This document contains results for 1999-2000 for North Carolina state testing programs. The Grade 3 pretest is a multiple-choice reading and mathematics test administered to students in the first 3 weeks of grade 3. This pretest was administered to more than 102,000 students in the 1999-2000 school year. Results showed that 69.8% of students…

This paper shows how a mid-sized teacher education institution proactively developed a performance assessment method, Teacher Work Samples (TWSs), addressing the school's efforts to use TWSs to obtain evidence of the impact of teacher performance on student learning. The paper examines challenges faced in developing and implementing TWS…

This second edition provides principals, teachers, and parents with new insight into early childhood education. Research underscores the importance of increasing emphasis on literacy and language acquisition, using assessment tools effectively, expanding community linkages, meeting the needs of a diverse student body, balancing academic and…