High school students in the United States have been taking more challenging courses in recent years, but academic achievement has been stagnant. At the heart of the matter is the quality of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Some courses tend to be more challenging in name than in practice. High schools also have a history of autonomy that…

This booklet of academic standards spells out what students should know and be able to do in Grade 10 English/Language Arts. The booklet gives examples to help students understand what is required to meet the standards and provides a list of 10 things parents can do to help their child get a good education. It outlines the following seven…

The "philosophes" of the Enlightenment Period were a group of free (different) thinkers who offered commentary on societal issues. Often, they were like one of today's social commentators suggesting reforms for the political system. Since the United States during the era of the Revolutionary War was seeking reform of what they considered…

This document was designed and developed to supplement the "Mississippi Language Arts Framework 2000" and the Subject Area Testing Program (SATP) Teachers' Guide. This Intervention Guide is designed to help the teacher assess the progress of classes and individual students by assessment strand as reported in the SATP Class and SATP…

Orange County (California) students in grades 9 and 10 compete in an annually held series of 10 competitive events measuring academic strengths. These events include tests in grammar and literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, social science, study skills, and a super quiz--a team event held before a large audience. In addition, there are…

This tenth grade lesson plan asks student teams to research and analyze the history, the challenges, and the future of contemporary nations and share their discoveries in a poster presentation at a technology pavilion. The lesson plan states that each team, as a participating nation, is required to include three themes in their countries' pavilion…

Louisiana is transforming public education with the "Reaching for Results" reform initiative. "Reaching for Results" includes higher standards for what students should know and be able to do, school and district accountability, increased resources for schools and students, and a new testing program, including the Graduation…

In this lesson, students role-play as members of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia that will bring to trial "Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law." Students represent the following groups: International Criminal Tribunal; Prosecution; Defense; Serbians; Croatians;…

The Connecticut Curriculum Trace Maps for music are designed to help curriculum developers and teachers translate Connecticut's K-12 performance standards into objectives and classroom practice. The Trace Maps provide specific descriptions of what students should know and be able to do at smaller grade level clusters. The elements in the Trace…

In this lesson, students work as marketing teams hired by a U.S. fast food company to study the feasibility of selling fast food in Latin America. Teams are composed of cultural, production, marketing, and advertising experts. Each marketing team will investigate a product and a Latin American country. Teams will present their research and…

In 1999, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was administered to students in grades 4, 5, 8, and 10 to assess student achievement of the Sunshine State Standards in reading and mathematics as mandated by the Florida legislature. This report informs administrators, legislators, and the general public about the reading and mathematics…

What sorts of instruction do students experience in high school English? Most research findings rely on small-scale, localized contexts. The purpose of this study is to provide a national portrait of high school English by documenting its overall quality on several dimensions that are theoretically important. In addition, the study examines…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 10, "World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World," students stud the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar E. Chavez. The students learn about the historical developments of many of the ideas and philosophy of Chavez, particularly the evolution of democratic principles.…

This lesson plan asks students to be staff members of a classroom newspaper that is developing a series of articles on the Holocaust. Students work in small groups to research, and eventually report on, a particular topic concerning the Holocaust. The series of articles will work as a whole to refute the arguments of those who deny the existence…

In the past 50 years many political organizations have attempted to seek redress from repressive governments. Many have used methods considered to be terrorism. The United Nations (UN) is interested in establishing a set of guidelines dealing with the prevention of terrorism. This unit focuses on several questions that attempt to define terrorism.…