The Creative Curriculum[R] for Preschool is a project-based early childhood curriculum designed to foster the development of the whole child through teacher-led small and large group activities. The curriculum provides information on child development, working with families, and organizing the classroom around 11 interest areas. Child assessments…

This paper provides information about North Carolina End-of-Course Exams. The North Carolina End-of-Course Assessments were developed for two purposes: (1) To provide accurate measurement of individual student knowledge and skills specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study; and (2) To provide accurate measurement of the knowledge and…

The Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) is a model for training, teacher advancement, and instructional strategies. Based on interviews and observations, the four TAP principles were implemented with fidelity during the 2010-11 school year, with one exception--teacher evaluations. Feedback was slow, and teachers had concerns about the reliability of…

Direct, explicit, and systematic instruction of critical skills has been a hallmark of effective teaching for many years. In this study, we implemented a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design with nonequivalent groups to determine the effectiveness of syllable skills instruction on reading achievement. Classes were randomly assigned to control…

SINCE IT IS BELIEVED THAT A CHILD PROGRESSES BY HIS OWN PARTICULAR MENTAL CAPACITIES, NINE LEVELS OF A NONGRADED PRIMARY UNIT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED. ACCORDING TO A CHILD'S ABILITY, HE MAY COMPLETE HIS CONTINUOUS GROWING PATTERN IN 2 TO 4 YEARS. THE FIRST LEVEL IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH DETERMINING A CHILD'S READINESS TO BE PLACED INTO A MORE…

This article describes Fifth Dimension, an after-school program which mixes play and computer games to improve the education and social skills of mostly poor, disadvantaged kids. Although Fifth Dimension seems tailor-made for a poor, rural community, its roots are urban. The after-school program was founded by a group of researchers in San Diego…

It is estimated that 22 percent, of adults in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina have poor literacy skills, meaning that they have difficulty with tasks involving simple texts and documents. Purpose: Given this low level of adult literacy, the purpose of this exploratory research study was to analyze the perceptions of North Carolina's adult…

This report describes findings on the quality of the More at Four Program and the outcomes for children during pre-k from two program years: 2003-2004 (year 3) and 2005-2006 (year 5). Separate results for the 2005-2006 cohort are presented to provide a picture of the program in its most recent year of operation as well as results from the 2…

The reason that the school dropout crisis is now referred to as a "silent epidemic" is because, when we weren't paying attention, the graduation rate in our country slipped to a level that threatens the very health and well-being of our society. Each year, almost one-third of all public high school students--and nearly one-half of all…

The purpose of this handbook, is to assist teachers in assessing their students in reading, regardless of the grade level or subject they teach. It is intended as a starting point on the journey to helping students become effective readers, regardless of the material they are reading. SERVE, one of the Regional Educational Laboratories, has…

Researchers examined how different reading and language arts assignments influenced third graders' (N=187) motivational goals, strategy use, and achievement affect. Teachers (N=8) modified assignments to increase students' complex writing and peer collaboration. Evaluation indicated students became less focused on teacher approval or normative…

This study examined North Carolina schools serving large numbers of poor and minority students, emphasizing nine schools where black student achievement was especially high, where black students had made strong gains, or where the black-white achievement gap was closing faster than the state average. Between 1999-00, research teams visited each…

This paper suggests that since neither grade retention nor social promotion work, there must be an alternative between these two extremes. Successful efforts to end these practices should: identify student problems as early as possible; intervene as soon as problems are identified; design the extra help around each student's needs; and have strong…

This document provides information on student performance at the state, regional, and school system levels on end-of-grade multiple choice tests for grades 3 through 8 in reading and mathematics and the end-of-course multiple choice tests administered in high school subjects in 1996-97 as part of the North Carolina Testing Program. The figures and…

The guide describes North Carolina's standard course of study in modern languages for grades K-12 and corresponding instructional guidelines. The first part is organized in six chapters: purpose, overview, and rationale for the standard course of study; intended program outcomes; the interrelationship of proficiency, grammar, vocabulary, and…