The Baltimore City Public School System's (BCPSS) Grade 9 Transition Program was implemented in 2001-02. It is designed to increase student achievement in an era of No Child Left Behind federal legislation by providing additional time and learning opportunities for eighth-grade students who have not met all promotion standards established by the…

The future of gifted education is discussed in this symposium report, which contains the edited presentations of six national consultants and the ensuing discussion among the panelists. The consultants addressed the significance of a report of the U.S. Department of Education entitled "National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's…

The shortcomings of standardized testing as the predominant form of student assessment in the United States are reviewed, and the use and potential benefits of portfolio assessment are explored. Children's educational experiences and their future job prospects and standards of living are being decided by test scores. Moreover, these test scores…

This report presents information from a study of recent state efforts to improve the education system and the implications of these efforts for children with disabilities. The study evaluated educational reform and state policy in 18 states. A major finding of the study was the limited involvement of the special education community in the…

This document, which was developed for participants in a videoconference on literacy training in the workplace, contains information and resources designed to help literacy trainers improve their workplace literacy programs. Presented in the introductory section are a videoconference evaluation form, list of videoconference sponsors, and…

In an effort to balance common academic outcomes, as measured by common course finals, with faculty's individual teaching styles, Johnson County Community College (Kansas) mathematics faculty developed "core components" for 10 of the mathematics courses offered in Spring 1995. The core components were designed by faculty teaching each…

The assessment instruments of the Maine Educational Assessment emphasize extended constructed-response questions. The results from these assessments are reported in terms of percentages of students at four performance levels. The Student-Based Constructed-Response Method was used to establish performance standards for these levels on the…

A review of the research and a case study of current practice in one large urban school district evaluate the decision-making process of including students with disabilities in systems of educational accountability and the identification and provision of suitable accommodations for such students. Issues in the inclusion of students with…

This paper presents selected findings from a three-year research investigation of general and special education reform initiatives implemented in five local school districts across the United States (including a large urban, predominately minority system; two suburban districts; a small independent city district; a large county-wide system; two…

Concerns over the quality of education in the United States and the increasing demands of international competition have resulted in increased calls for the development and implementation of industry-based skill standards. A series of 22 pilot projects that were initiated by the National Skills Standard Board to strengthen the education-employment…

A project was undertaken to reduce the amount of time required to screen first year students into an oversubscribed early childhood education program at a multicampus community college in Ontario, Canada, and to reduce faculty complaints concerning the procedure. The original process consisted of applicant questionnaires scored by faculty and…

The National Education Goals Panel was created by the President and Governors in July 1990 to assess and report on the progress of the nation and states in achieving six National Education goals by the year 2000. The Panel created six resource groups, one for each goal, to develop short- and long-term recommendations for methods to ensure…

Recent changes to the student profile in higher education and calls for improved graduation rates and better quality graduates have caused consternation among academics. Greater access to higher education by non-traditional groups is supported both ideologically and pragmatically. However, the disparate needs of such a student population has led…

This document brings together professional standards of the special education profession adopted by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The standards represent the efforts of special educators to govern their own practice, guide agencies that certify or license special educators, and improve programs that prepare special educators. The…

This policy statement, issued by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in pamphlet form, and approved by the membership, addresses the importance of urban colleges and universities for urban populations, and in particular, for minorities. A first section, on educating urban students, stresses that while seeking academic rigor…