Alaska's last literacy blueprint was written in 2011. A lot has changed in 12 years. Since then, Alaska adopted new English Language Arts standards to reflect the advanced literacy students need to be ready for college and careers. The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) adopted the Alaska Native Cultural Standards for…

Concerns are cited regarding definitional, identification, and programing issues for emotionally disturbed students in rural Alaskan schools. Problems with the current state definition include its vagueness, reliance on noneducational experts, and implications that psychological or psychiatric treatment is necessary. Lack of resource room…

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…

The three volumes outline Alaska's procedures for implementing individualized education programs (IEPs) and for providing nonbiased assessment of exceptional students. The first two volumes deal with IEPs and include sections on initial identification, referral, multidisciplinary assessment, IEP development/placement, IEP review and reevaluation,…

This publication provides guidance for making decisions about the participation in regular assessments of individual students in Alaska with disabilities and with limited English proficiency. It also provides guidance for deciding if a student requires a testing accommodation or an alternate assessment. The regular assessments included…

In an attempt to include more students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, 12 states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia) allowed out-of-level testing during the 2000-2001 school year. This report discusses the context of state assessment…

The purpose of this manual is to suggest adaptable procedures and materials that can be used by Alaska vocational educators to evaluate their automotive mechanic programs systematically. Section 1 is an introduction to the manual and to the evaluation process. The remaining six sections represent major tasks or activities that should be…

The Japanese success story has made W. Edwards Deming's Total Quality Management (TQM) theory increasingly popular among American managers, from car manufacturers to educational leaders. TQM is based on two tenets: the primacy of customer satisfaction and the necessity of tapping nontraditional sources (especially employee ideas) to institute…

This document reports responses from Alaska's 54 school districts to a Department of Education survey on curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The first section provides general information about the school districts' responses in those three areas, including information on curriculum guides, graduation requirements, student assessment…

Provided are regulations for establishing the basic program parameters necessary to implement Article 3, Chapter 30 of Alaska Statutes requiring school districts and regional attendance areas to provide special services for exceptional children. Seven chapters cover the following areas (sample subareas are in parentheses): authority and…

This report provides information on gifted and talented education in Alaska, based on a survey of 154 teachers and 728 parents in 41 of 54 school districts. The report describes student eligibility, service availability, curriculum and administrative models, teacher training, parent satisfaction, and service evaluation. The report considers…

Intended for parents of exceptional children in Alaska, this booklet briefly defines the handicapping conditions that make a child exceptional and then describes programs in Alaska available to parents and their exceptional children. The Child Find program, which identifies exceptional children and ensures that they receive appropriate educational…

This report from a blue ribbon panel of experts convened by Disability Rights Advocates, Inc. and the Oregon Department of Education addresses the interplay between standardized examinations and students with learning disabilities. The report describes in detail the accommodations, alternate assessments, appeals procedures, and other safeguards…

This paper focuses on standards-based teacher licensure in Alaska. Section 1, "Introduction," examines the history of schooling in the United States, noting different periods of reform. Section 2, "School Reform Since 'A Nation at Risk,'" discusses how that report shifted the focus for reform. Section 3, "Education…

This handbook provides guidelines for the operation of local special education programs for Alaskan children with disabilities. It addresses: (1) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 and basic concepts of special education; (2) identification of students with disabilities, referral, screening programs, and…