This paper explores the potential pitfalls associated with the new federal accountability role precipitated by the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. The paper presents worst-case scenarios with the assumption that it is worthwhile to consider the potential for unanticipated consequences so as to avoid problems before they occur. After…

This book presents proceedings and papers from a conference on racial and ethnic disparities in K-12 education and identifies key issues for policy and research. Part 1 summarizes the conference in six chapters: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Education and the Changing Nation"; (3) "How People Learn"; (4) "Social…

This report provides a summary for the years 1993 through 1997 of district and school-level results in Washington on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, fourth edition (CTBS/4) for grades 4 and 8 and the Curriculum Frameworks Assessment System (CFAS) for grade 11. For grades 4 and 8, the average national percentile scores in reading,…

For many years there has been carried on in the United States by various national and State organizations a vigorous agitation for a clearer definition and improvement of standards in higher and professional education. Committees and commissions have labored and reported. Sometimes these reports have been published and given wide circulation; in…

Outlines disparities in educational access, proposing reforms for equalizing opportunities to learn and examining social and economic challenges; reducing achievement gaps; inequality and achievement; the influence of funding on achievement (particularly among African American students); what matters in teaching (e.g., access to quality teaching,…

The past two decades have witnessed a significant growth in the number of school improvement programs and in the accompanying efforts to evaluate such programs. Passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002 has intensified the need for evaluations to assess and understand the quality and value of educational interventions. Well over a…

This special report on the assessment of French immersion students in Alberta focuses on critical issues and methodological problems with testing methods. After an introduction, the second section gives an overview of these issues and problems. Issues discussed include the following: whether students instructed in French immersion programs should…

An annotated bibliography on revenue producing sports is presented, with attention to: Proposition 48, exploitation of athletes, legal proceedings, research related to athletes and academic performance, psychological characteristics of athletes, and counseling programs for athletes. Introductions to each of the six topics are included. The section…

The New Jersey Basic Skills Assessment Program was created to determine the status of basic skills preparedness of freshmen entering public colleges and universities and to offer data to help colleges place freshman students in appropriate courses. The New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) is a 3-hour-and-20-minute examination…

In May and June of each year, Soviet students who have completed grades one through ten face a final examination in each of the major subjects which they have studied. The examinations are constructed by the ministries of education in the Soviet republics and are submitted to the individual school district authorities. The type, form, and purpose…

The panel which conducted this study was invited by the Florida Teaching Profession--National Education Association (NEA) and the NEA to assess the educational soundness of implementation of the Florida Accountability Act. The panel felt that the overall purpose of the accountability program was praiseworthy, but that the minimum competency…

Faculty from fifteen colleges developed open-ended questions to assess group competence in four areas of learning associated with general education--communication skill, analytic thinking, synthesizing ability, and social/cultural awareness. A secondary purpose was to determine faculty expectations for learning in the general education component…

The political issues and activities involved in the reporting of results of the 1969-70 Michigan Educational Assessment Program are discussed. The background and purposes of the program, the events and forces that shaped the manner in which assessment results were reported, and several political issues regarding the design of the 1970-71…

The College of Education of the Cleveland State University opened its first graduate program in 1968. The purpose of the study reported here is to provide information for reflection about the college's past performance and for planning new directions in its graduate programs. The study uses information from college and university records,…

This report is part of a series of Idea Books designed to help schools and communities work together to strengthen education so all students can achieve high academic standards. It is specifically designed to help administrators and teachers seeking to understand how Title I, Title VII, and other programs assist educators in helping Hispanic…