Traditional grading practices have been in place for well over a hundred years and grades received served to identify in which subjects a student is "smart" or in which ones they are not (Dewitt, 2017). The problem with traditional grading is that it does not provide qualitative information on the difference between an A, B, C, D, or F…

The Common Core State Standards' emphasis on informational text arose in part from research suggesting that employers and college instructors found students weak at comprehending technical manuals, scientific and historical journals, and other texts pivotal to work in those arenas. The common core's vision of informational text includes literary…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

This report provides information about the performance of New York's 2012 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2012 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the…

The core curriculum for economics, the enterprise system, and finance supports the New York State Education Department's efforts to raise standards in social studies by focusing on Standard 4: Economics, in the "Learning Standards for Social Studies." This core curriculum reinforces the key ideas and performance indicators for this…

This report presents baseline findings from a 3-year study of state exit exams. The study involved data from all states with current or planned exit exams; case studies of five states; and research review. Researchers examined: why so many states are adopting high school exit exams, impacts of exit exams on students, what the exams are like, and…

A major aim of education in the state of New York is to prepare its students for a productive and meaningful life as citizens in local, state, national, and international settings. The "Participation in Government" core curriculum is designed to be a culminating course of study that focuses on Social Studies Learning Standard 5--Civics,…

This document shares the collective wisdom and experience of professionals who have successfully guided the transition of hundreds of youths and adults from New York's correctional institutions back into the community. The first section begins with an overview of the New York State Education Department's transition program model to move…