This model of student teaching preparation was developed in collaboration with public schools to focus on systematic experience in teaching and training for accountability in the classroom. In the two-semester plan, students begin with teacher orientation and planning days, serve as teacher aides, attend various methods courses, teach several…

Shortcomings in the current student assessment program in Georgia are identified, proposed revisions are described, and additional changes are recommended. Georgia educators have complained that curricula place too much emphasis on basic skills, to the detriment of subjects like science and social studies. Reform legislation in Georgia has…

An 11-point plan was developed by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) in cooperation with the California Department of Education for the 1990-91 year. Major program objectives were designed to enhance agency involvement, identify underlying causes of student attrition, examine test administration and security practices,…

A description is provided of the process proposed for the comprehensive institutional assessment of Genesee Community College (GCC) and the methods used to develop the assessment proposal. The proposal calls for the assessment to envelop the entire campus, tracking students from the preregistration phase, as they pass through their courses to the…

The volume focuses on topics discussed at a symposium on research methodology in special education, with emphasis on the special educator's perspective. Following an introductory section (three chapters), are three sections with 17 chapters which cover the following topics: design of educational prescriptions--behavioral objectives and criterion…

The report of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education followed 13 hearings and meetings throughout the nation on ways to strengthen the education of students with disabilities. An executive summary summarizes nine findings and the resulting three major recommendations: first, focus on results, not process; second, embrace a…

This publication provides Autism Program Quality Indicators (APQI), intended as a self-review and quality improvement guide for schools and programs serving students with autism spectrum disorders. The APQI were developed by the New York Autism Network at the request of the New York State Education Department. The APQI promote the goal that all…

This curriculum framework is a guide for local education communities as they restructure their schools and improve foreign language planning. Grounded in national and state reform efforts, this guide for teachers to help students achieve the Sunshine State Standards, presents broad, overarching ideas for the development of curriculum and…

Throughout the 1990s, legislation increasingly required programs receiving federal funding to be more accountable for what they did. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 further emphasized the levels of accountability to ensure student success in schools. For limited English proficient (LEP) education, these requirements have intensified the…

This report discusses the findings of a survey of the 50 states that investigated how state graduation requirements apply to students with limited English proficiency (LEP) and whether students with LEP receive a standard diploma upon completion of their studies or some type of modified exit document. Results found a minimum graduation requirement…

In response to new provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this issue describes the promising special education research that is helping all students participate successfully in large-scale testing programs. The first article, "State-Wide Assessment Programs," discusses the new provisions in IDEA that…

Designed for general and special education administrators, teachers, and other education professionals, this book offers a "big picture" of high expectations, assessment, and accountability for students with significant disabilities. Chapters focus on the following eight steps involved in the development and administration of alternate…

This executive summary describes a study that finds nearly every school in the Great Lakes states is threatened to fail the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements mandated by the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act. NCLB holds schools and districts accountable for student achievement on state standardized tests and schools…

A new approach in alternative assessment focuses on student-led conferences. This paper explains how one Iowa middle school implements student-led conferences. The approach combines authentic assessment via portfolios with greater student involvement. Additional components include self-assessment, effective communication, parental involvement, and…

In addressing the problem of disproportionate placement of minority students with special education in charter schools, Fierros describes the commentaries of this issue's contributing scholars. The contributions expose a variety of topics to address the needs of inequities experienced by students with special needs. These topics include: the…