The person-centered individualized education program (IEP) transition planning has emerged as a primary indicator of quality services, and as a predictor for successful post-school outcomes for transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, these person-centered transition practices are not uniformly implemented across the…

This article describes how the Virginia Beach schools have embraced differentiation as its new instructional philosophy, in part by adding it to teacher evaluation. The heart of guiding everyone in the district from novice to expert in the work focuses on these four essential questions: (1) Are we clear about what matters in curricula?; (2) Is the…

Virginia Beach City Public Schools had decided to embrace differentiation as its philosophy of instruction. Differentiation was added to the teacher evaluation rubric, and by 2003 Virginia Beach launched full force into a division-wide focus on Carol Ann Tomlinson's model for differentiation. (Tomlinson is the author of several books on the…

The Virginia Department of Education is developing a plan that would require all students to complete a common core of learning with outcomes based on seven dimensions of living. Students successfully completing a statewide assessment of critical knowledge and skills by the end of 10th grade would continue their education by choosing one of three…

A 42-item structured observation instrument was devised to rate the family friendliness of the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings in Virginia for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Seventy-nine case presentations at 31 FAPT meetings were observed and overall rating of family friendliness was good (63%). (Author/CR)

A study was conducted to determine the effect of the locally developed program of career orientation implemented in the Danville, Virginia, middle schools in August 1976, on the career development and academic achievement of students in grades 5, 6, and 7. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used for the evaluation, and…

The study examined the origins of higher education student assessment policy in Virginia, the current attitudes regarding assessment, and the implications and apparent directions of assessment policy in Virginia. The primary data sources were interviews with public officials and various document sources such as State Council of Higher Education…

The biennial statewide plan for higher education in Virginia outlines the status of the state system and proposes academic and administrative actions to move the system forward through the next two years and beyond. The first section gives a statistical profile of the state system, including private and public college and university enrollment…

The Council of Higher Education, in this state-mandated biennial plan, sets four goals for Virginia's state-supported system of higher education to achieve: access, excellence, accountability, and placement among the best systems of higher education in the United States. The plan concentrates on the 84 degree-granting institutions that have been…

In response to a legislative imperative that all public higher education institutions in Virginia develop and implement a program to measure student learning and to use the results of evaluations for the improvement of instruction and the curriculum, the Virginia community colleges have either initiated or completed a number of student assessment…

This document is intended to assist local school personnel with the implementation of the Virginia State Standards of Quality requirements and regulations governing educational services for gifted students. Preliminary sections present a rationale for the Virginia Plan for the Gifted, a statement of goals, and a definition of giftedness (including…

This guide, which is intended primarily for adult education practitioners in Virginia, explains the process of developing workplace basic skills programs. Presented first is background information on the guide's development. The following are among the topics discussed in the guide's seven chapters: the need for work force education (changes in…

This issue of the quarterly publication focuses on Achieving Secondary Education and Transition Results for Students with Disabilities. Editorial introduction notes that today's educational systems are being called upon to re-examine how they prepare students with disabilities for adult life. The shift toward greater participation by students with…

Virginia has 36 criminal justice training academies, including 10 regional academies. The academies conduct entry-level, inservice, and specialized training for law enforcement officers, jailers, and other criminal justice personnel. In 1998, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) was directed to review the quality, consistency,…

This document is intended as a template for individuals initiating and developing adult education distance learning programs. The introduction discusses the following issues: benefits of distance learning; flexibility; confidentiality; retention; and the best students to target. The template and supplementary materials are organized in five…