Final evaluation of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that there was significant growth evidenced in over 75% of the reading subscale groupings as measured by the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (*CTBS). Subjects were 114…

Evaluation at the end of the first year of a 3-year project to use microcomputers to improve the reading and language skills of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Native American students revealed that the major objective was not reached, but there were achievements nonetheless. Lakota (Sioux) children constitute 10% of the Rapid City, South Dakota…

Competency-based teacher education (CBTE) cannot be defended unless a systematic large-scale research effort is directed to discovering the linkage between patterns of teacher behavior and student change. A more immediate need, however, is the development of techniques that (a) permit assessment of skills trainees possess, and (b) provide training…

This paper evaluates the progress of the Coordinated Vocational Academic Education (CVAE) Program for disadvantaged students in Georgia for the school year 1970-71. Evaluation was based on changes in grades, attendance, and attitudes of students as compared with the previous school year when the new coordinated program was not in effect. The CVAE…

Assessment of the progress of occupational students, while difficult, can be successfully achieved by means of cooperative efforts between theorists and researchers in student assessment and professional college staff members who work with students. (JDS)

The progress of 30 mildly handicapped students in grades 3-8 was monitored simultaneously in alternative levels of a reading curriculum, and students' slopes of improvement and variability of performance were compared. Regardless of the level of the curriculum in which progress was assessed, the slope of improvement was similar over time.…

Recommendations are offered for change in every area of the educational matrix, to create school environments that will raise achievement levels of students with deafness, including minority students. Recommendations focus on changing the organization, new approaches to curriculum and instruction, and evaluating the assessment strategies. (JDD)

Considers the use of observation in the classroom as a means of student assessment. Focuses on developing an observation instrument, the scoring criteria, and using progress-based rankings rather than static rankings. Provides an example teacher observation form. (CMK)

In 2000, the state of Nebraska passed legislation requiring the assessment of student performance on content standards, but its requirements were very different from those of any other state. Nebraska created what has come to be known as STARS (School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System). Under STARS, each of Nebraska's nearly 500…

The changing economic and social situation, the rapid expansion of technology, and the explosion of available knowledge are fundamentally altering the world economy. Today, our nation's students need not only basic skills, but higher level reasoning and communication and thinking ability, as well. In Connecticut, a committee was formed to…

Redefining the federal government's role in kindergarten through grade 12 education, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is designed to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. The act is based on four principles, the first of which is stronger accountability for results, entailing creation of…

This supplement is designed as a resource for helping students read and respond to literature and other forms of print. It notes that kindergarten through third graders are expected to: develop an ability to read with increasing fluency and understanding by using writing and a variety of other reading strategies; and read, interpret, and respond…

Describes the changes the Douglass school district (Kansas) underwent as they began to implement "Transitions," a school improvement model that is based on individual student accountability. Provides insight into the capacities that need to be developed within a system before Transitions can be implemented successfully. Includes a sample…

Describes how the North Central Association (NCA) school improvement process helped Auburn Elementary School (Kansas) achieve improved student performance. Asserts that critical elements for a successful school improvement process include: trust, organization, and strong steering committee and peer review chairs. (KP)

Nine teachers in programs serving school-aged children or adults with severe disabilities received training on applying rules in data-based instructional decisions. After one-two years of implementation, the teachers' decision making and the effect of these decisions on student progress were evaluated. Some support was found for the benefit of…