School grades provide an easily understandable metric to measure the performance of a school. Parents and the general public can use the informational baseline school grade and its associated components to understand how well each school is serving its students. The school grades calculation was revised substantially for the 2014-15 school year to…

Factors that should be considered when choosing a music camp for students to attend are discussed. Questions that potential music campers and their parents should ask are provided. (RM)

This handbook has been prepared to address one specific problem: How can the techniques of program evaluation be effectively applied to produce useful information about the operations and impact of moral education programs in secondary schools? The handbook is divided into five chapters. The introductory chapter describes the background and…

Noting that the protective factors that support positive development despite adversity are becoming better understood, this workbook discusses the importance of encouraging resilience and promoting prosocial behavior in adolescents living in challenging circumstances and shows how to evaluate resilience through the use of checklists and background…

This document, which was developed for use by Pennsylvania 4-H Club leaders and members, is a chart that can be used to help club members determine and document those sewing skills they already have and those they need to learn as they complete one or more 4-H Club sewing projects. The document begins with a note to club leaders and parents that…

The study summarized (in both English and French) in this report, is an evaluation of the listening comprehension and speech skills of ninth grade students in Manitoba's (Canada) French immersion programs. It is intended for parents and teachers in Manitoba involved in the French immersion program. The report consists of an overview of the study,…

This digest offers guidelines to parents and educators helping gifted adolescents adjust to problems related to their giftedness. Challenges to adjustment are noted in the areas of: ownership (talented adolescents simultaneously "own" and yet question the validity of their abilities); dissonance (between their high standards and their…

Intended for parents, school personnel, and leisure staff, this booklet outlines ways a community can overcome obstacles that keep youth with disabilities from enjoying their leisure. First the nature of leisure is considered and a self-evaluation questionnaire is presented. Consideration of leisure in the lives of teenagers with disabilities…

This digest provides students, parents, and educators with guidelines to help gifted students in the college planning process. As learning about oneself and career options is essential to college planning, a 6-year program of guidance activities is outlined for grades 7-12. Learning about colleges is discussed in terms of two steps, the first…

This workbook provides a means of assessing the health maintenance and promotion skills of youth in foster care and offers exercises to develop those skills. The workbook is designed to be used collaboratively by foster parents and youth in substitute care, enabling them to assess, develop, and practice independent living skills, and to maintain a…

The "School Health Index" is a self-assessment and planning guide that will enable schools to: (1) identify the strengths and weaknesses of school policies and programs for promoting health and safety; (2) develop an action plan for improving student health and safety, and (3) involve teachers, parents, students, and the community in improving…

The guide describes the STEPS program: Successful Transition to Employment for People with Special needs. Step I begins as a prevocational curriculum in the ninth grade, with students doing hands-on tasks in the classroom and school environment, while receiving related classroom instruction. Step II provides a continuation of activities in Step I…

The workbook is designed to help foster parents and youth in substitute care to work together to assess, develop, and practice employment skills, and to maintain a record of demonstrated skills that will accompany the youth throughout his or her stay in foster care. The workbook begins with a comprehensive skills assessment, and each skill is…

This issue of "Transition Summary" was developed to assist Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams in planning for successful transitions from high school into independent adulthood by students with disabilities. Definitions of transition services within federal law are first explored and legal implications for the IEP team are…

Designed for junior high and high school students and their parents, this brochure explains the structure, function, and method for interpretation of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress. A question and answer format is used to provide information on scope and purposes of the tests, meaning and accuracy…