Legislation, enacted by an increasing number of states in response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), ushers in new accountability standards with significant implications for administrators and teachers. Educators are facing greater pressures to employ effective strategies for helping students meet curriculum standards and to prove that these…

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary school administrators in a large U.S. state perceived the overall effects of testing on education in general and, more specifically, on their instructional leadership responsibilities. We surveyed 325 Florida principals and assistant principals, many of whom viewed the testing program…

The Stupski Foundation has focused on the implementation of a comprehensive aligned instructional system as a critical lever for district reform. In the challenging environment of urban education, reforms focusing on only one system component (i.e., assessment, curriculum materials, professional development, resource utilization, regulatory…

Examines differences in knowledge of the North Carolina Student Accountability Program between two groups of experienced and beginning principals. Finds significant differences in the level of knowledge between experienced and beginning principals. (Contains 16 references.) (PKP)

Describes progress of efforts of four Title I elementary schools in Idaho to raise student scores on state-mandated mathematics tests. Variations in patterns of progress among schools were attributed to differences in staff commitment and principal leadership. (PKP)

Examines relationships between student mobility and student and school performance, based on data for 6,000 Texas schools. One out of six students changed schools at least once during 1994-95. Over a four-year period, two-thirds of first-graders moved at least once. Mobility rates are higher for poorer, at-risk, and minority students. Mobile…

Describes four-tier accountability system developed in the Dallas Independent School District through a districtwide planning process. Tier One focuses on the school level; Tier Two involves the district improvement plan; Tier Three relates to school-effectiveness indices; Tier Four involves the development of teacher-effectiveness indices.…

Explores how schools and community agencies collaborate to meet needs of at-risk youth, focusing on four youth services teams located in two rural Oregon counties. Challenges included loose structure, lack of defined objectives, lack of common understanding of related roles and responsibilities, school leadership burden, time management, need for…

Describes a Florida county's attempt to address increasing demands for assessment. Guided by responses from 1,007 administrators and teachers (75 percent of a random sample of 1,343), a broad assessment framework was developed encompassing advocacy, administration, reporting, training and development, and technical assistance. (13 references) (MLF)

Addresses issues faced by institutions attempting to design school profiles to meet accountability standards. Reports of high-stakes test results can be skewed by choice of statistic type (percent of students passing versus mean scores), sample bias, geographical transients, and omission errors. Administrators must look beyond "common…

Survey responses of 407 elementary school principals revealed that the factors most influencing principals' decisions to retain students include lack of mastery of material, local and state accountability standards, and the student's maturity level and chronological age. Principals also believe children should be retained in the early years.…

Although the New York State reading assessment was aimed at identifying children with extra educational needs, one study shows that the current high-stakes nature of the tests has distorted that intent. Rather than rewarding instructional quality, state accountability profiles often reward questionable instructional practices such as retention in…

Discusses Edina School District's School Profiles composed of multiple indicators from student achievement assessment results, school demographic data, and survey responses. Focuses on student, staff, and parent surveys, and shows how the surveys were developed, presented, and used by the schools to support comprehensive and ongoing efforts to…

Explains assessment's nature and purpose and appropriate classroom conditions for its use. Describes a teaching and learning model for the assessment cycle that includes application of learning targets, purposes, methods, feedback/inference, and documentation and communication of results. Delineates six core principles for quality assessment. (MLH)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Florida elementary school administrators believe the state's testing program is taking public schools in the right direction. Questionnaire responses from principals and assistant principals show that the majority of administrators believe the testing program is not taking schools in the right…