What does "rigor," a word that frequently pops up in conversations about education, really mean? More specifically, what does it mean for "literacy" instruction, and how does it relate to challenging standards-based assessments? In this informative and practical guide, literacy expert Nancy Boyles uses the framework from Webb's…

Amargosa Valley School in Nevada could be considered representative of almost any preK-8 school that serves a large proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and is focused on turning around persistently low achievement. Like other schools supported by federal School Improvement Grants, Amargosa is beginning to implement a reform plan…

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has forged alliances with key national organizations representing the core academic subjects, including Social Studies, English, Math, Science, Geography, World Languages and the Arts. These collaborations have resulted in the development of 21st Century Skills Maps that illustrate the essential…

The goal of every school district is to help students succeed academically and personally. But does every district leverage its most valuable resource, its teachers, to meet that goal? At the Valley Stream Central High School District in Nassau County, New York, these authors know how important teacher commitment is to student success, so they…

This 21st Century Skills Map is the result of hundreds of hours of research, development and feedback from educators and business leaders across the nation. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has issued this map for the core subject of English.

The Louisiana Department of Education produces two curriculum guides for use in teaching Louisiana Studies at the eighth grade level. Very little information on Louisiana architecture is included. The Division of Historic Preservation proposed and obtained funds for a cooperative project between themselves and the Department of Education that…

As teachers and principals prepare students to pass mandated academic tests, they should not overlook the role educational travel can play in motivating students to achieve. Travel brings curriculum to life and teaches lessons that students will remember--and need--throughout their lives. In this article, the author describes educational travel…

This report is designed for educators who are involved in teaching, developing, or evaluating curriculum in the middle and junior high schools. It describes the content and application of Florida's eighth grade writing test, and it offers suggestions that might be helpful in preparing students for the assessment. The 1990 Florida legislature…

Reports the results of a questionnaire given to eighth-grade students in Moscow (Russia). Presents results on student opinions about the school environment, their teachers, their image of schools of the future, and the significance of peer groups in their lives. Includes quotes from students on each topic discussed. (CFR)

A series of reports informs educators and parents about the Alaska Statewide Assessment, a program designed to measure student performance in mathematics and reading. The first report covers the 1981 assessment, proposed planning and changes in the program for 1983, evaluation plans, and test scores. Report 2 describes the progress of score…

This article addresses some important issues in mathematics instruction at the middle and secondary levels, including the structuring of a district's mathematics program; the choice of textbooks and use of calculators in the classroom; the need for more rigorous lesson planning practices; and the dangers of teaching to standardized tests rather…

This document summarizes the results of a national survey that tested 4th, 8th, and 12th graders' ability to analyze geographic data in a variety of formats; explain complex geographic phenomena and processes; and show knowledge of relationships between human and geographic events. The survey tested three content dimensions: space and place,…

The Connecticut Assessment of Educational Progress (CAEP) is modeled after the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and has been in operation since 1971. This report is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the Connecticut State Department of Education to make its CAEP program even more useful to classroom teachers and other…

Fifth and eighth grade students in New York City participated in a citywide science survey for the fourth consecutive year in 1987. These surveys were designed to assess overall achievement in the pre-high school grades and to provide school, district and citywide summary information about student performance in basic areas of the science…

This booklet reports on the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in geography for 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students, a test given for the first time to establish baseline data for measuring student progress in geography well into the future. The booklet contains the following sections: (1) Why We Assess Geography; (2) The 1994…