After nearly two decades of federal and state accountability requirements relying on conventional standardized assessments, Virginia and several other states are moving to create more balanced approaches to statewide assessment systems that include the use of performance assessments. But Palm (2008) states, "Performance assessment can mean…

Over the past two decades, creativity has emerged as one of the core 21st century learning objectives within K-12 education systems around the world. While some literature has demonised assessment as something that inhibits creativity, a growing body of research supports feedback-driven teaching--also known as formative assessment or…

Although the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are not federally mandated national standards or performance expectations for K-12 schools in the United States, they stand poised to become a de facto national science and education policy, as state governments, publishers of curriculum materials, and assessment providers across the country…

A review of the literature on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) from 1975 to 1989 identifies three phases (a normative phase, an analytic phase, and a technology reaction phase), and reveals a history of IEPs' inadequacies and passive compliance, in contrast to the original intent of Public Law 94-142. (Author/JDD)

This article discusses communicative intent in persons with severe intellectual disability in the context of intervention studies reporting the acquisition of graphic symbol use. The article reviews communicative intent as formulated within psycholinguistic models of language acquisition which emphasize pragmatics and the functions of…

This review discusses instructional materials as the physical media through which the intents of the curriculum are experienced. Studies of innovative science curricula are considered, as well as the role of textbooks. (MNS)

Describes the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Statewide Systemic Initiatives Program (SSIP) and its intent to improve math and science education at state levels. Discusses changes in the administration of the program, failures, and successes. (WRM)

The article examines possible conflicts between specific aspects (particularly the individualized education program and mainstreaming) of P.L. 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) and the broad intent, or spirit of the Law. (SBH)

Adopting full inclusion as the implementation strategy for educating children under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will eliminate the discretion granted parents and guardians under the act. Discusses the intent of IDEA, its legal interpretations, and implications for school social workers. (Author/MKA)

Provides a historical review of feminist theory and research that provides a context for and offers critical challenges to contemporary ideas about the meanings and intents of feminist inquiry and evaluation. This overview demonstrates the continued importance of paying attention to gender, particularly in education. (SLD)

This paper presents a theoretical framework for investigating the role of algorithms in mathematical thinking using a combined ontological-psychological outlook. The intent is to demonstrate that the processes of learning and of problem solving incorporate an elaborate interplay between operational and structural conceptualizations of the same…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes school health services among possible related services. A review of relevant documents and court decisions from the past 10 years provides insight into congressional intent, federal regulations, and local implementation of service delivery related to children with extensive health care…

The definition of developmental disabilities clarifies the functional intent of the Developmental Disabilities Act (P.L. 95-602), but it raises many questions. Issues discussed include the advantages of labeling, individualizing, and the prescriptive potential of the definition. Problems include complexities in implementation, inconsistencies in…

This article discusses using performance based assessment in the social studies classroom. The intent is to show how performance assessment in a social studies classroom can be the basis for providing integrated social science instruction using state standards to address student academic diversity. Elements of classroom performance assessments are…

This report summarizes the findings of four technical studies on public education finance in Oregon. After describing the intent and scope of each of the studies, the report sketches the general conclusions reached on the structure of the public educational system in Oregon, the state's General Fund, and the financing of each sector of Oregon…