This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Ada B. Simmons, Tom V. Savage, Katherine S. McKnight, Mitchell Chester, Russell J. Skiba, Carol A. Tomlinson, Tonya R. Moon, Linda S. Evans, Tony C. Wu, and Paul Wehman.
(2002). Supporting High School Students through Assessment of Academic and Industry-Valued Skills: What Have We Learned?. Some fundamental assessment-related issues must be considered as states and localities refine and build upon existing assessment systems. First is the likely impact of increased high-stakes testing on industry-valued high school programs and their students. Data are inconclusive but suggest consequences of high-stakes testing on these programs and students warrant concerted attention for positive and negative outcomes. The second issue is success-to-date in using assessments beyond state-mandated, academic-focused tests for career-technical education and other high school reform efforts. The field has demonstrated a range of assessment methods that can be used for particular assessment purposes, including reinforcing good teaching and learning and emphasizing student recognition and certification. The current focus on high-stakes, large-scale academic testing may deter attention from other purposes and forms of assessment. Third is how career-related and other SCANS-like skills can be incorporated into states' academic standards and assessments. A range of possible curriculum-embedded assessment tasks could help teachers effectively link academic and workforce preparation skills in their instruction. Core academic curriculum support documents featuring models of such tasks benefit all students. The fourth issue is how assessment helps support and improve contextual teaching and learning. Concrete examples are strengthening local assessments in a "mixed" state-local assessment model and incorporating assessment data-driven decision-making into program improvement efforts. (27 references) [More] Descriptors: Academic Education, Achievement Tests, Career Education, Curriculum Development
(2002). School Law in Review, 2002. This is a compilation of presentations delivered at the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys' Annual School Law Seminar: (1) "Environmental Hazards for Urban Schools Facing the New Challenge" (Kelly Frels, Kevin A. Ewing, Timothy A. Wilkins, Jason B. Hutt); (2) "How Accommodating? High-Stakes Testing and Federal Laws That Apply to Students with Disabilities" (Arthur L. Coleman); (3) "Free Speech and Public Schools in a Post-Columbine World: Check Your Speech Rights at the Schoolhouse Metal Detector" (Clay Calvert); (4) "Investigation of School Employee Misconduct Including the Misuse of Technology" (Jeffrey J. Horner); (5) "High-Stakes Testing of Students with Disabilities" (Michael E. Smith and Ronald D. Wenkart); (6) "Student Drug Testing" (Stephanie Mather); (7) "FERPA and Student Record Keeping" (Michael A. Owsley); (8) "How to Advise Districts on Investment Contracts" (Dorian E. Turner); (9) "Fair Labor Standards Act Recordkeeping Practice Tips" (Andrew J. Bracken); (10) "Ethics and the School Attorney" (Thomas E. Spahn); (11) "Supreme Court Update" (Julie Underwood); (12) "The IEP Development Process: A Primer" (P. Tyson Bennett); (13) "IEP Procedural Errors: Crafting a Defensible and Effective Individualized Education Program" (Elena M. Gallegos); (14) "The Design-Build Project Delivery Method: An Analysis of Legal Issues and Practical and Policy Implications" (Susan Plimpton Segal); and (15) "Owner Controlled Insurance for School Construction: Reducing Costs and Reliance on Project Risk Management" (Stuart L. Knade). Descriptors: Court Litigation, Disabilities, Educational Testing, Elementary Secondary Education
(2002). Development of Differentiated Performance Assessment Tasks for Middle School Classrooms. In response to the greatly increased use of statewide high stakes testing, the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at the University of Virginia developed differentiated authentic assessments for middle school classroom use that embodied key concepts, principles, generalizations, and processes in the disciplines of English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. A small scale study of the psychometric attributes of the authentic assessments was also conducted. Results provide evidence that authentic assessments can be developed to provide reliable and valid information about student learning and an accurate assessment of students' success in achieving academic learning standards, with positive responses of both teachers and students to the authentic assessment experience. Individual chapters address: (1) effects of high stakes testing; (2) content and principles for the development of authentic assessment tasks; (3) psychometric attributes of the authentic assessments; and (4) teachers' and students' responses to authentic assessments. Appendices provide five examples of authentic assessment tasks with scoring rubrics. (Contains 31 references.) [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Educational Assessment, English, Gifted
(2003). Loosely Coupled Organizations, Misrecognition, and Social Reproduction, International Journal of Leadership in Education. Almost 25 years ago, Bourdieu and Passeron (1977) explained how educational systems foster a "misrecognition" of the part that schools play in social reproduction. They noted that it is to the advantage of the dominant elements of society and educators themselves to perpetuate a strong belief in the legitimacy of schools as institutions that facilitate upward mobility, although, in fact, they do not. This article explores how loose coupling in school organizations serves the purpose of misrecognition and social reproduction. Although other sources of misrecognition and reproduction are acknowledged, it is proposed that loose coupling among various elements and processes in schooling both contribute to and conceal the failure to provide access to higher status for members of groups outside mainstream society. Recent efforts to change schools through systemic reform, including standards and high stakes testing, are considered in light of their likelihood to reinforce or disrupt misrecognition. [More] Descriptors: Role of Education, Public Opinion, School Role, Social Mobility
(2003). Sanctions, School Improvement, and Student Achievement. Research Brief, Education Partnerships, Inc.. No Child Left Behind as well as many state policies maintain that the threat of sanctions are a method that will insure quality teaching and improved student achievement. Proponents of these policies often point to states such as Florida and Texas and their improved achievement scores under such policies. For the most part, these claims are not supported by research. One study did suggest that sanctions linked to a comprehensive education reform initiative more powerfully impacted teaching improvement, principal understanding, and resource allocation to support student achievement goals. Most of the research, however, points not only to more harm than good from high-stakes testing, but that improved scores may be statistical inaccuracies or invalid measures of learning. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, High Stakes Tests, Accountability, Resource Allocation
(2002). The Reflective Discussion Group: Focused Discussion in a High-Stakes Environment. High stakes testing presents a significant problem for the design of effective professional development. The absurdity of asking teachers and administrators to raise test scores constantly encourages teachers to teach to the test without regard for the intellectual development of students. This case study from Texas describes the reflective discussion group in which teachers in a high-stakes testing situation met monthly to focus on what student writing revealed about their teaching practices. Six elementary school teachers and the researcher held reflective meetings, and the content of the meetings was analyzed. The reflective conversation data are supported by interviews with the teachers. The discussions fell into three phases, discourse related to Barriers to Change, discourse focusing on Conditions for Change, and a final Discourse of Change in which teachers begin to think not only about their current teaching, but on what they could do in the future. The school experienced a dramatic increase in scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), jumping from a 44% pass rate to a pass rate of 68% and moving from low performing to acceptable. This change was attributed to schoolwide emphasis on literacy and using the TAAS to inform instructional practice rather than to dictate instruction. Teachers also credited the reflective conversations in helping them understand their roles as teachers and guides. (Contains 12 references.) [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Case Studies, Educational Change, Educational Practices
(2002). Building a High-Quality Assessment and Accountability Program: The Philadelphia Example, Brookings Papers on Education Policy. The purpose of implementing an assessment and accountability program in an urban school district is to improve student learning of worthwhile content. Current levels of achievement in most U.S. urban districts are unacceptably low. Average achievement test results conceal the fact that achievement levels of students of color are substantially lower than those of white students. Improvements are urgently needed. Some education researchers and practitioners believe that high-stakes testing leads to a dumbed-down curriculum and unfair penalties for students and schools. Others believe equally strongly that, without high-stakes testing, many schools will continue to provide inadequate opportunities to learn for students, especially students from low-income families. The authors believe that a carefully crafted and continuously refined assessment and accountability program can lead to more effective schools and higher levels of student persistence and achievement on content critical for future success. In this paper, the authors discuss a framework for building an effective assessment and accountability system and describe the accountability system used in Philadelphia as part of "Children Achieving", the complex standards-driven reform agenda put in place by David Hornbeck, who came to Philadelphia in 1994 as superintendent of the public schools. The authors analyze the Philadelphia assessment and accountability program around the framework of setting a good target, symmetry for students and schools, and fairness. Comments by Daniel Koretz and Theodore Hershberg are presented. [More] Descriptors: Urban Schools, Test Results, Low Income, Persistence
(2008). Special Education. Research Brief, Education Partnerships, Inc.. Meeting the needs of every student so that they can be successful in the real world and life is one of the primary goals of education. In this era of high stakes standardized testing and No Child Left Behind, it is expected that all students should achieve at the same academic levels. Yet, no two students are identical so it makes logical sense that their needs and achievement levels will not be the same. According to IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), students who have been identified with special needs are expected to achieve and be successful in the least restrictive environment that is as inclusive as possible. "…school districts are required to educate students with disabilities in regular classrooms with their nondisabled peers, in the school they would attend if not disabled, to the maximum extent appropriate" ("Inclusion, least restrictive environment [LRE], mainstreaming"). With this in mind, students with disabilities could be receiving their education in the regular education classroom, a mainstream setting, an inclusive setting or a self-contained classroom. What can be done, regardless of their educational setting, to help high school students with special needs be successful and achieve at their highest levels? [More] Descriptors: Disabilities, Academic Achievement, Standardized Tests, Special Needs Students
(2006). Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start. Gaps in academic achievement between students from various racial and ethnic groups and from low-income families are a cause for national concern. The advent of high stakes testing and the increased awareness of high dropout rates have rekindled the search for ways to help all children succeed in school. Many strategies to address lagging achievement have focused on discrete points of the education system, such as middle and high school reform. However, there is an increasing interest and movement by educators and grantmakers to confront the problem where it often starts–between the ages of three and eight–and to take a systems approach that aligns learning from pre-kindergarten (pre-K) through third grade (PK-3). Although aligning pre-K through third grade sounds straightforward, there are many curricular details, systemic challenges and funding intricacies that make PK-3 program integration a complex process. Grantmakers for Education brought together grantmakers, educators and advocates for a two-day briefing entitled "Making the Most of Our Investments: How PK-3 Alignment Can Close the Achievement Gap from the Start." Presentations, group discussions and a site visit addressed the following key issues: (1) The research and policy context for PK-3 systems; (2) Strategies for successfully aligning prekindergarten with the K-3 system; (3) PK-3 alignment in action–what does it look like on the ground?; and (4) Advancing PK-3 systems through grantmaking–what are the leverage points for funders? This report is a compendium of the knowledge, strategies and insights shared by meeting presenters and participants. It is organized in four sections: (1) Understanding the PK-3 Landscape; (2) PK-3 Alignment in Practice; (3) Grantmaker Engagement; and (4) What's Needed in the Future. (Contains 5 footnotes and 6 resources.) [Additional funding for this paper was provided by The New School Foundation.] [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Achievement Gap, Ethnic Groups, Systems Approach
(2003). Assessment and Quality Social Studies, Social Studies. Those anonymous individuals who develop high-stakes tests by which educational quality is measured exercise great influence in defining educational quality. In this article, the author examines the impact of high-stakes testing on the welfare of the children and the quality of social studies instruction. He presents the benefits and drawbacks of standardized testing, and argues that high-stakes tests are detrimental to improvement and accountability because they provide unsound and inaccurate data that distort educational priorities and give the public misleading information about how well schools are performing. The consequence is the waste of valuable resources by focusing attention in the wrong directions. Thus, opposing the use of standardized tests does not mean that one is also opposed to standards and accountability; rather, one believes that there are other methods for promoting high standards and accountability. [More] Descriptors: Educational Quality, Testing, Standardized Tests, Social Studies
(2006). Life beyond the Classroom: Transition Strategies for Young People with Disabilities, Fourth Edition, Brookes Publishing Company. Just in time for the implementation of new IDEA regulations, this fourth edition of a landmark text brings together the most up-to-date, comprehensive information on facilitating transitions for young people with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities. Teaming with the best-known researchers in the fields of employment, transition, postsecondary education, disability, and special education, internationally recognized authority Paul Wehman has thoroughly updated the entire book with the latest theoretical information and practical guidance. Future professionals will get cutting-edge research, new statistics and legislation, and timely new chapters on: inclusion in schools and in the community; postsecondary education; autism spectrum disorders; high-stakes testing and accountability; assistive technology; customized employment; Social Security benefits and work; incentives; and self-determination. Readers will also get updated information throughout the book on transition planning, ensuring access to the general education curriculum, pursuing postsecondary education, helping individuals secure housing, meeting the specific needs of young people with a range of disabilities, and navigating the complex challenges of transition. Study questions, chapter objectives, case studies, and sample transition plans help readers focus on learning goals and think critically about key issues. An ideal text for the college or university classroom and a critical reference for every professional's bookshelf, this book will prepare readers to give young people with disabilities appropriate, individualized support as they start their life beyond the classroom. This book contains the following sections: (1) Transition Planning; (2) Facilitating and Supporting Transition; (3) Work and Life in the Community; and (4) Designing and Implementing Individualized Transition Plans. The following are appended: (1) Key Provisions on Transition: IDEA 1997 compared to H.R. 1350 (IDEA 2004); (2) The Americans with Disabilities Act; (3) Individualized Transition Plan for a Student with Autism; and (4) Individualized Transition Plan for Marcus. [More] Descriptors: Employment, Educational Technology, Disabilities, Assistive Technology
(2006). Mainstream First-Grade Teachers' Understanding of Strategies for Accommodating the Needs of English Language Learners, Teacher Education Quarterly. In this time of high stakes testing, teachers' working with English Language Learners (ELLs) becomes a high-stakes teaching act. Nationally, mandated testing is increasing in the schools even as school demographics are changing. The growing numbers of language-minority students come with varying levels of English proficiency, from little or none to fluent bilingualism. Teachers find it difficult to bring all their native-English-speaking children along to an acceptable level of performance in literacy and content-area subjects; ELLs present an even greater challenge, particularly for the elementary mainstream classroom teachers who are the primary language teachers for most young ELLs, yet typically have little training in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) methods. This qualitative study explores how 22 teachers at one grade level perceived the use of instructional strategies for delivering basic subject areas and basic ESOL instruction. Recognizing that first grade is a critical year in children's language and literacy development, the authors chose to focus on that grade. The study has three major conclusions. First, the strategies for teaching literacy and content material to first-grade students–developmental, meaning-based, inter-disciplinary, experiential approaches–are compatible with strategies for teaching language, literacy and content to ELL students. Secondly, these teachers held very positive feelings about, and high expectations of, their ELL students. The third conclusion is that teachers clearly found benefits from student-student interaction, even though they report spending a significant amount of time in whole-class instruction. [More] [More] Descriptors: Educational Strategies, Literacy Education, Language of Instruction, Testing
(2003). The Psychology of Disproportionality: Minority Placement in Context, Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners. Racial disparities in special and gifted education cannot be understood independently of a broad legacy of racial inequity woven into American public education. The results of a qualitative study illustrate the context within which minority disproportionality occurs. School respondents agreed with the NRC panel's conclusion that poverty makes an important contribution to disproportionality; yet the data suggest that the effect of poverty is by no means linear. Respondents identified a number of contextual factors contributing to racial disparities in special education placement, including high-stakes testing. In particular, we were struck by the difficulty some respondents exhibited in discussing issues of race. To ensure implementation of the panel's recommendations, it becomes highly important to address broader socio-political issues, especially denial of the existence of racial disparities in the schools. [More] Descriptors: Disproportionate Representation, High Stakes Tests, Social Influences, Special Education
(2006). A Legal Overview and History of High School Exit Exams, International Journal of Educational Reform. State exit exams, also known as graduation tests, are tests that student must pass to graduate from high school. These tests are more influential than ever. Accordingly, in 2004, 20 states required students to pass an exit exam to graduate from high school, and six additional states will implement an exit exam by 2009. This affects more than half of all public school students (52%), and even more minority public school students (55%) currently live in states with exit exam requirements. Nationwide, parents have resorted to the use of civil litigation to express their disapproval and opposition to graduation tests. Adversaries of high-stakes tests have also argued that leaving students without a diploma due to discriminatory tests does even more harm to African American and Hispanic students, who are often educated in the worst available schools. Nationwide public protests against high-stakes testing have been based on the public's displeasure with a system that places labels on low-performing schools and children, potentially increases the dropout rate, places a greater emphasis on teaching for rote memorization, places pressure on young children to perform, and by default devalues the subject areas that are not a part of high school graduation tests. This article provides a historical overview of the law and regulations related to the use and implementation of graduation tests, and it also provides a national perspective of their prevalence and status across the nation. Amid expanding school competition and increasing school choice options for parents and students, the prevalence, legality, and use of graduation tests should be of interest to school leaders tasked with monitoring graduation rates and student achievement levels. [More] Descriptors: High Schools, Public Schools, Graduation Rate, Dropout Rate
(2006). A Changing Nation: Issues Facing Chinese Teachers, Kappa Delta Pi Record. As China charges forward into modernity, the nation is confronted with major economic and social changes. China's one-child policy and economic growth, for example, have altered the values and attitudes of parents, thereby creating new challenges for Chinese teachers. In addition, nontraditional ways of thinking in China's youth have led to a variety of classroom concerns. What are the particular issues facing Chinese teachers in K-12? Findings from a qualitative study reveal problems teachers face in the People's Republic of China (PRC). This document reports the results of a study conducted through focus group interviews of former teachers studying in the field of education at the doctoral and master's levels. Because of their extensive experiences as both teachers and students in the Chinese education system, these individuals are well-informed about the current conditions in Chinese classrooms. Prior to the interviews, a guide was developed. The questions were open-ended, allowing respondents more latitude to share information. The following questions were used in interviews with each focus group: (1) What are some of the problems and struggles faced by Chinese teachers? (2) What changes have taken place in Chinese society that have directly affected teachers? (3) What do you see as possible responses to those problems? and (4) How do these problems affect students? To analyze the information produced through these conversations, the researcher focused on discovering trends, themes, and patterns. Through inductive analysis, various themes emerged from the data and were coded and organized. The information was then sorted according to topics and categories. Pertinent examples and quotes were identified and added to the relevant categories. In this report, the problems faced by Chinese public school teachers are discussed, centering on three problem areas: China's high-stakes testing program; the changing Chinese student; and the working conditions of the public People's Republic of China (PRC). [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Economic Progress, Developing Nations, Social Change