This presentation was presented at the 2011 National Conference on Student Assessment (CCSSO). The focus of this presentation is how to validate the common core state standards (CCSS) in math and ELA and the subsequent assessments that will be developed by state consortia. The CCSS specify the skills students need to be ready for post-secondary…

[Slides] presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 2009. This study investigated the presence of a general rise in high school grades without a corresponding rise in SAT scores, as well as different grading criteria between schools, as shown by differential relationships between AP course grades and exam scores. These…

This videotape records the stories of 7 scientists, 3 women and 4 men who range in age from 33 to 81. Beginning with their earliest scientific questions and including their most personal ponderings, the scientists reveal their histories and professional obligations to affect the world. Director Michael Apted allows the personal adventures of the…

"Same Difference," the television program featured in this videotape and teaching guide, tells the story of a friendship that blossoms into love between Shelley and Vinnie, a young couple with different ethnic and religious backgrounds, Jewish and Italian Catholic. Despite family opposition and personal difficulties, the spirit of…

"Crosstown," the television program featured in this videotape and teaching guide, depicts a teenager who is forced, due to her father's lack of child support payments, to leave her comfortable home four years after her parents' divorce and to move across town to an apartment in an inner city neighborhood. The teenager decides not to be…

"Boys Will Be Boys," the television program featured in this videotape and teaching guide, explores the turmoil experienced by a young woman, a high school sophomore, who becomes the victim of sexual harassment at school. The program can be a springboard for discussing the larger issues of sexual harassment and women's rights today and…

"The Writing on the Wall," the television program featured in this videotape and teaching guide, focuses on three suburban teenagers who deface with anti-Semitic graffiti, the property of a rabbi, a holocaust survivor, and the Jewish community center and synagogue. The teenagers, tried and convicted, are spared a harsh sentence when the…

Teachers at all academic levels can adapt the design and content of the sixth grade Japanese cultural festival detailed in this learning packet. Material is divided into 2 sections. Section 1 provides a step-by-step guide to planning and conducting the festival. These instructions, based on 5 years of experience, include a detailed planning…