Part of a series on contemporary school reform and special education, this report discusses how states are building capacity for standards-based reform. An introduction describes seven key areas in which states must build classroom and organizational level capacities, including: (1) teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions; (2) students'…

Kentucky's school reform accountability goal of each school reaching an academic measure of "proficiency" by 2014 illuminated the findings in recent statewide reading test scores: 44.30% of middle and 71.25% of high school students scored below "proficient." The research question for this exploratory, descriptive study was,…

This report describes how assessments are scored and results are reported in the inclusive assessment and accountability systems in Maryland and Kentucky. Specific topics include: (1) how school performance is reported to the public; (2) what components go into the reported performance of schools; (3) how scores are obtained for students in the…

The goal of Kentucky social studies education is to help students become contributing, participating, and knowledgeable citizens. To achieve this goal, students must know, understand, and apply the content and concepts of the various sub-disciplines of social studies (government and civics, history, geography, economics, culture and society). This…

Since the U.S. has no strong centralized educational program, the drive for systemic change is proceeding more slowly and unsystematically than in Japan or France. Systemic reform strategies must emphasize building schools' capacity for self-renewal. Getting from uniformly high standards to diverse delivery systems is the challenge. Marshall…

Policy makers are turning away from individual performance pay, favoring school-based rewards that expand curriculum or fund other improvements. Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas have adopted performance-based rewards and sanctions. Policy makers must balance state and local control and align performance indicators with school…

This report discusses the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that require states to develop alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in large-scale assessment programs. The report also profiles five state alternate assessment practices that have been developed or are emerging and…

Educators are simultaneously bombarded with both calls to integrate technology in meaningful ways into their teaching and to promote more student-centered activities which combine both content learning and higher-order thinking. This is no small task given the range of student abilities and interests, the increasing emphasis on state standards and…

This report describes and compares the inclusive assessment and accountability systems of Maryland and Kentucky, with a focus on components, scoring methods, reporting practices, data use, participation of students with disabilities, testing accommodations, and implementation considerations (including cost and training issues). Maryland and…

The National Consortium on Inclusive Schooling Practices (1996) developed a framework to analyze state and local policies and their effects on school inclusion. The framework focuses on standards-based systemic reform across six major policy areas: curriculum, student assessment, accountability, personnel development and professional training,…

This paper focuses on how the State of Kentucky has developed performance-based assessment programs, and the concept of continuous assessment in teacher education has formed over the past several years. The paper discusses the work done by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board, the impact of 1997 legislation regarding postsecondary…

This article sketches the historical context for the development of alternate assessment for students with disabilities, describes alternate assessment, and identifies some of the potential benefits of including students with significant disabilities in large-scale assessment. The correlation between alternate assessment scores and the…

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…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

The state of Kentucky has recently raised its standards for persons who apply for admission to teacher education. The plan, mandated by the State Board of Education, involves a selection/retention process for candidates who apply for initial admission to the program and for candidates who progress through the program. A minimum level of…