The College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is an achievement test mandated by the state of Florida to assess the communications and mathematics skills of college students in public institutions in Florida. Passing the CLAST is a requirement for an Associate's in Arts degree or entry into upper-level courses. This report presents and analyzes…

April 1990 marked the tenth year of the effort mandated by the Arizona State Legislature to assess student performance through nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement testing in reading, grammar, and mathematics for students in grades 1 through 12. This was the sixth year the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were administered to students in…

This report evaluates the implementation of the "Long-Range Magnet School Plan" at Southwest High School, a mathematics and science magnet school in Kansas City, Missouri. The evaluation covers the academic years from 1988-89 through 1990-91. After an executive summary and an introduction that describes the program, the report is…

The Kansas City, Missouri, Long Range Magnet School Plan includes the development of math/science elementary schools. These schools emphasize investigative learning through exploration and problem-solving activities. This document is a formative evaluation of the progress in the implementation of the magnet theme during the 1990-1991 school year…

This third annual report documents performance of Florida public high school graduates who became first-time-in-college students at public postsecondary institutions throughout the State within 1 year after graduation. The outcome report reflects the preparedness of Florida students for postsecondary education by documenting the number and…

This study investigated the school adjustment of 1,300 low-income, minority children in the Chicago Public Schools. Chidren's progress from preschool to fourth grade was traced. Data were collected from teachers, parents, children, and computerized records. The study primarily examined mediated effects of preschool; influences on cognitive growth…

Available information, largely for selected years in the 1970s through 1990, on academic performance at the highest levels of achievement is summarized for elementary through graduate school levels. Profiles of students who performed well on particular measures of academic achievement or attained advanced degrees are provided. Data were obtained…

The testimony presented in this report addresses the effects of recent reforms on the achievement of disadvantaged students, their dropout rates, and their enrollments in vocational education. An evaluation of programs in four large-city school districts revealed that educational reform has been neither a disaster nor a boon for the performance of…

The New York City Russian Bilingual Program is described in this report. As implemented in 1980-81, the program provided instruction in English as a second language, native language arts, reading, and bilingual mathematics, science, social studies, and other subject areas to approximately 700 Russian-dominant students of limited English…

The James Irvine Foundation launched the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative in 1999 with the goal of improving the academic achievement of children in the lowest-performing schools in five California cities. In 2004, CORAL adopted a more targeted approach toward reaching this goal by integrating a regular…

This technical report outlines the results of a correlational study of an Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) measure, a Reading Comprehension measure, a Vocabulary measure, and a statewide, large-scale reading assessment. The effects of school income level, gender, ethnicity, Special Education status, and English Language Learner status are also…

This White Paper summarizes findings from an extensive literature review that was conducted to identify the most promising models and approaches for meeting the needs of low-income children, youth, and families during the summer months. Special attention is paid to summer learning programs that serve diverse, urban low-income children and youth.…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) gives states wide discretion to define what students must learn, how that knowledge should be tested, what test scores constitute proficiency, set standards for high school graduation rates, teacher qualifications, school safety and many other aspects of school performance. As a result, states are largely free to define…

This study compared the inclusive PIER program (French acronym for program intervention with at risk students), which was implemented in 13 third grade classes in Quebec (Canada) and compared with 13 third grade classes using a traditional resource room pull-out program over the course of a full school year. A total of 165 at-risk and 441 non…

This report, mandated by Ohio's 119th General Assembly, examines the fairness and appropriateness of the state's ninth-grade proficiency test. Under the assumption that it is indeed fair and appropriate to have a single, statewide graduation standard for all students, the study focuses on the issue of whether the test, as developed and…