This catalogue of student competencies, gleaned from 10,000 competency statements developed by secondary school districts, is designed to allow flexibility at the local level. Districts are free to adopt or modify this set of graduation competencies by following a six-step process: organize, orient a task force, identify priority competency…

A project was undertaken in Illinois to develop an articulation model in health occupations education for grades K-14 in order to provide a standard guide for curriculum; for the functions of educational, health, and community resource institutions; and for the roles of educators and guidance personnel. A three-dimensional model was developed…

Based on the need to strengthen articulation activities within the Illinois educational system, this project was designed to provide a formal articulation mechanism utilizing the concept of institutional coordination for the development of comprehensive vocational programs and services. Phase 1 of the project developed an articulation process…

The purpose of the study was to conduct a survey of all the public community colleges in Illinois to evaluate how the colleges develop and approve vocational-technical education programs. Objectives included evaluation of the criteria used in selection and approval of programs, getting information to improve management processes used in selecting…

The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) study on teacher education is divided into four sections; (1) placing the problem of the ongoing need for teachers in perspective; (2) policy recommendations to the IBHE on relevant aspects of teacher education; (3) the rationale for recommendations made to the IBHE; (4) ideas and programs that could…

Recommendations for the preparation of health professionals in Illinois are made in order to: (1) ensure that an adequate number of health professionals are educated to meet the needs of Illinois citizens; (2) improve the distribution of available health manpower within the State; (3) enhance the access to health professions education programs for…

Initiated in 1964, the Illnois gifted program provided funds for development of local gifted programs by local districts. General purposes and criteria for individual programs were realized with varying success. Gifted programs increased and were extended to less wealthy and smaller districts; techniques and inservice education spilled over into…

Dual credit programs were first established in the 1970s, gradually gaining popularity in the 1980s, and expanding enormously through the 1990s. These programs are designed to allow high school students to begin college-level coursework and simultaneously earn high school and college credit. While the original intent was to provide more…

Uses the Nominal Group Technique to determine Illinois business education teachers' responses to perceived challenges. Finds geographic differences in challenges faced by business educators and suggests strategies, including preservice and inservice teacher education, for coping with constantly changing issues and needs. Participants identified…

A movement in designing special education curricula in Illinois is to provide instruction in "natural community environments," including simulated and real job sites. Special education vocational programs have shifted emphasis toward a life-skills approach that incorporates vocational elements. Describes an Illinois curriculum model…

Asserts that, although middle school students have rudimentary map skills, they typically dismiss old maps as worthless. Describes the use of outdated and inaccurate maps as instructional resources in social studies courses. Concludes that the approach was valuable and helped students learn about the concept of change over time. (CFR)

In 1991, the University Libraries of Northern Illinois University implemented a revised policy for renewals of library materials. Various system, staff, and patron-related concerns required the access services department to adapt to immediate demands, then to seek longterm solutions. This case study examines the initial impact of the new policy,…

This report considers the situation of the Illinois public schools and provides an affirmative argument summarizing the most recent research in four key areas where research has demonstrated that money clearly makes a difference in the quality of the education product: (1) establishing classroom sizes that meet the individual needs of students;…

Experiences in systems-development for state information systems are summarized for eight pilot-test state agencies, as part of the State Level Information Base project. Attention is directed to the evaluation of information needs; hardware and software choices; survey administration; data organization, storage, and linkages; and staffing…

This guide, the first in a series of 13 publications, is designed to be used for evaluations of local education agencies (LEA) in Illinois. It introduces the series and provides an overview of the 12 local leader guides that follow. Each of these guides describes a specific evaluation activity and suggests purposes, methods, and events for…