This report is the nation's sixth look at how its major city school systems are performing on the state assessments devised to boost standards, measure progress, provide opportunity, and ensure accountability for results. Data are presented on 66 city school systems from 38 states and the District of Columbia. The statistics are presented…

The Optional Extended Year Program (OEYP), funded by a grant from the state, provides extended learning opportunities for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) who are at risk of academic failure. The primary focus of an OEYP is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the need for student grade-level retention by providing additional…

The VITAE project is a four-year (2001-2005) research study, commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills, conducted with 300 teachers in 100 schools in seven local education authorities in England. The project aimed to identify factors that may affect their work and lives over time and how these factors may, in turn, impact on their…

A study examined the feasibility and implications of awarding credit for traditional extramural studies courses throughout the United Kingdom (Credit Frameworks and Learning Outcomes Programme). The project's objectives were as follows: assess demand for and acceptability of credit among existing and potential students; test new forms of…

This report discusses findings from a study that examined the inclusiveness of state standards for students with disabilities. Specifically, the study investigated the extent to which individuals who know students with disabilities were involved in the development process, the extent to which students with disabilities were identified as being a…

New studies dispel the fear that high academic standards set up some students to fail or drop out. This research finds that raising academic standards has a positive impact for all students in the following ways: (1) students take more demanding courses, learn more, and score higher on tests; (2) nationwide, dropout rates are falling and high…

This study used statistical analysis to determine the extent to which racial, ethnic, and gender preferences are affect admissions policies of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (New York) and the U.S. Naval academy at Annapolis (Maryland). The study used data for all applicants for the fall 1995 freshman class that included racial or ethnic…

Undergraduate admissions policies and practices were studied in the context of enrollment trends, academic standards for admission, and equal access issues. A total of 2,203 two-year and four-year colleges from both the public and private sectors responded to the survey questionnaire. Information was obtained on: selectivity in admissions,…

A basic-skills testing remediation model for older, reentry college juniors was studied longitudinally and cross-validated against previous findings. Attention was directed to the rates of academic success and attrition for students entering an upper-division university in 1981 as juniors and seniors and majoring in business administration. The…

A comprehensive survey was conducted seeking the opinions of 40,000 secondary school teachers on the impact of school reform proposals. Over 13,500 teachers returned questionnaires, for a response rate of 33.9%. In this report an evaluation is presented of the school renewal movement drawn from the perspective of the teacher. The survey included…

Universities and colleges of advanced education in Austrialia were surveyed to determine their policies and practices in admitting and granting status to holders of TAFE (Technical and Further Education) middle-level certificates who wish to transfer to relevant higher education courses. Of the 90 higher education institutions that were…

Thirty-three private and public colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest were surveyed in January 1977 for information about their policies and academic standards, suspension for academic reasons, and reinstatement after suspension. The responses of the 24 respondents, assigned numbers rather than institution titles, are presented here,…

Based on the current literature, new facts and developments, and observations and interviews with 22 exemplary institutions, this paper reviews the issues and assumptions underlying articulation and transfer, and provides a descriptive summary of emerging policies, practices, and trends. The paper begins with three introductory sections:…

The concern that minimum competency testing programs allow minimum performance levels to be accepted as the maximum was investigated, using reading and mathematics achievement test data in one state. State and local school district standards were defined as the number of students falling below each standard, thus needing remediation. Test results…

The more commonly cited uses of state and local district assessment programs are addressed. The implications of seven proposed uses of state assessment data are reviewed point-by-point: (1) allocating state grants-in-aid to alleviate weaknesses in instructional programs; (2) designing instructional support programs for teachers; (3) developing…