The purpose of this study was to evaluate the program initiated by EdReports.org for analysing instructional materials, improving local decision making for selecting materials, and providing professional learning to support implementation of high-quality materials in schools. The Context Input Process Product model was used to evaluate…

This report documents two distinct stages of decision-making regarding new charter school proposals. The first is a "development" decision which includes the following: (1) further study of a new charter school; (2) considering participation in a charter consortium; or (3) study of a federal Charter Schools Program grant or subgrant for…

This policy brief outlines the Common Core implementation plans for 15 states, including the professional development and resources/tools--such as instructional materials, toolkits, frameworks, crosswalks, and curriculum guides--that each state is providing. The authors suggest that supplemental resources like McREL's Common Core…

The purpose of this self-evaluation manual is to provide the procedures and instrumentation through which vocational education program personnel may evaluate or re-evaluate the value and effectiveness of their program. The manual is based upon statewide goals and objectives of vocational education as determined in 1983 by the project advisory…

This report presents the Wisconsin edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's 2008 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook." The 2008 "Yearbook" focuses on how state policies impact the retention of effective new teachers. This policy evaluation is broken down into three areas that encompass 15 goals. Broadly, these goals…

The guidelines contained in this manual were written to outline the role of the visiting team members and the team leader and to familiarize the team with the details necessary to conduct a comprehensive external evaluation of Wisconsin secondary vocational programs. The responsibilities of school personnel are also spelled out so that team…

The state policy implications of using higher education performance indicators for accountability purposes are examined, based on the experiences of 10 case study states (Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin) and others that have initiated such efforts. Specific issues that must be…

A discussion of the performance indicator system used at the University of Wisconsin to provide feedback to stakeholders and encourage continuous improvement of services includes background on the system's context and development, legislative and governing board involvement, resulting recommendations, and three examples of specific accountability…

Intended for teachers of the learning disabled (LD), the guide addresses philosophical and procedural issues in assessment. The first section introduces a philosophical framework which views assessment as an ongoing, goal-directed, integral part of the overall educational process. The remainder of the guide focuses on Wisconsin's procedures for…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Wisconsin edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

Recently NWEA completed a project to connect the scale of the WKCE with NWEA's RIT scale. Six Wisconsin school systems participated in the study, using test information from a group of over 1,500 students enrolled in fourth, eighth, and tenth grade who took both the WKCE and NWEA tests in the fall of 2003. Information from these tests was used in…

Standards-based reform activity dominated K-12 education during the 1990s, reflecting a consensus that improving learning requires state-level curricular standards and examinations. Opponents argue state-imposed standards and tests overly burden districts, degrade teaching and learning, suffer from numerous technical problems, and have failed to…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

This study reviewed 1137 students' records from 25 school districts to determine if there is a possible conflict between Wisconsin's learning disabilities (LD) eligibility criteria and the federal definition under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It also surveyed student evaluation and placement teams concerning their application…

This study finds that nearly every school in the Great Lakes states is threatened to fail the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements mandated by the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act. NCLB holds schools and districts accountable for student achievement on state standardized tests and schools that do not make AYP face…