The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is one of two multi-state consortia that have built new assessment systems aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is composed of 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have worked together to develop a comprehensive assessment system aligned to the…

This report examines how technology and automation are changing the job market -- and what states can do to prepare adults for the new workplace. It analyzes shifts from low- to middle-skills jobs, details current education levels, and offers recommendations for retooling adult education programs.

Third grade is a critical checkpoint in a child's educational journey. By the end of third grade, children need literacy skills that prepare them for increasing curriculum demands in fourth grade and beyond. Students who are not reading on grade level by this point are significantly more likely to drop out of high school or fail to graduate on…

As the summer of 2014 began, Paul Herdman, President and CEO of the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Delaware, paused to reflect on what Delaware had accomplished over the past decade in the public education realm. Academic standards had been raised across the K-12 system, and a new assessment system aligned to those standards was being implemented.…

One of the competitive priorities of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top applications addressed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). States that applied were required to submit plans that addressed rigorous courses of study, cooperative partnerships to prepare and assist teachers in STEM content, and prepare…

The No Child Left Behind Act requires each state to set a series of annual targets to ensure that all students make adequate yearly progress in achieving proficiency in reading and mathematics by 2013/14. Schools must monitor annual progress toward proficiency goals for each of several subgroups, including students with disabilities, as well as…

SREB states were among the first in the nation to implement statewide high school exams. Today, these exams are a key component of each state's accountability system. This report identifies which states use comprehensive exams and which use end-of-course exams, how students perform on them, and whether achievement gaps have narrowed. It also…

Delaware, the District of Columbia, and New Jersey have spent past three years developing math standards and frameworks with guidance from state and local stakeholders and national standards efforts. Evaluation of these states' progress concluded that reform efforts are limited, unless new assessments are aligned with standards. Professional…

Recent scores on state tests show that middle grades students have made some progress in meeting their state's academic standards over the last half-decade. Yet a closer look at state standards indicates that too many Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have set them too low. Quite a few states have taken steps to improve their…

To help teachers, administrators, and parents understand student performance in writing, a state-level report is prepared each year to analyze students writing scores and provide guidelines for the interpretation of the results. This report compares students scores on the 2001 Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) with scores on the 2000 DSTP…

Within the educational reform debate, there is general agreement that the development of high academic standards is an important first step toward improving academic outcomes. This report highlights the standards initiatives being implemented in Colorado, Delaware, Minnesota, and South Carolina. All four states have made substantial progress in…

Delaware's secretary of education and the president of the State Board of Education asked Achieve to provide an analysis of the quality of Delaware's high school content standards and its course-taking requirements. In assisting Delaware in its commitment to raising the quality of its expectations for high school graduates, Achieve examined the…

This report provides data on the State of Delaware's performance goals and indicators for children with disabilities, their participation in assessments, the rate of long-range suspensions and expulsions, and disproportionalities based on race in identification and placement. The report is intended to serve as a baseline for future reporting on…