Search

The National Student Outcomes Survey (SOS) collects information about students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) in the previous calendar year. The gathered information on the surveyed VET students includes their reasons for training, employment outcomes, satisfaction with training, and further study outcomes. The survey covers students who have completed a qualification (graduates) and those who have completed only part of a course and then left the VET system (subject completers). The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has conducted the survey with government-funded VET students annually since 1999. In 2016, the scope of the survey was expanded to report on the outcomes of graduates whose training was Commonwealth--or state-funded as well as fee-for-service graduates. These graduates were referred to as total VET graduates. An explanation of the difference between total VET and government-funded student outcomes can be found in appendix A. The expanded scope was applied to the 2017 survey for graduates (following a successful trial in 2016) and for the first time for subject completers and the series renamed VET student outcomes. At the time of sample selection, insufficient information is available from the National VET Provider Collection to identify 'actual' subject completers. Instead, a sample of potential subject completers is chosen, which includes students who are continuing in the VET system. The status of respondents is determined through the survey responses. As such, respondents to the SOS include a number of students who were sampled as subject completers based on administrative data reported to the National VET Provider Collection, but self-identify in the questionnaire as graduates. For many years these 'self-reported graduates' (SRGs) were categorised as graduates in survey outputs, because the self-report was deemed to be more reliable than the collection data. However, it became apparent that many SRGs were not, in fact, graduates. In response to this issue, in 2012, NCVER created a logistic model that predicted the eligibility of a SRG being an 'actual' graduate based on their personal and training characteristics (Braysher 2012). This model has since been run annually for each SOS to assign group membership to SRGs. Those SRGs that were not predicted by the model to be a graduate were re-assigned to their original subject completer status. One of the conditions of the initial analysis was that the model should be reviewed at least every four years to assess its ongoing validity and to make possible modifications should demographics and administrative data change and alter the predictive power of the model. The model was reviewed by NCVER in 2015 (unpublished). The review found some changes in data quality, but found no evidence that these changes were affecting the estimates. At the time no changes were recommended to the logistic model or graduate reclassification procedure, but it was recommended that the model be reviewed again at a later stage. In relation to data quality, the proportion of subject completers claiming to be self-reported graduates has declined significantly since 2007, particularly from 2015 to 2017, highlighting the improvement in the quality of the National VET Provider Collection data since the need to run the model arose (appendix B). Hence, it was appropriate to review the model again. This report presents the findings of an additional comprehensive review of the model and methodology.

ACT reporting categories and ACT Readiness Ranges are new features added to the ACT score reports starting in fall 2016. For each reporting category, the number correct score, the maximum points possible, the percent correct, and the ACT Readiness Range, along with an indicator of whether the reporting category score falls within the Readiness Range are provided. In the format of questions and answers, this document first gives an introduction of the reporting categories in terms of what they are, how they are reported, and how they are related to the previous subscores. Then, based on results from 12 ACT forms administered to randomly equivalent groups of about 3,000 examinees in each, information is provided on the technical characteristics of the reporting category scores, including score reliability, standard error of measurement, and classification consistency of the ACT Readiness Ranges. This document is intended to facilitate the interpretation of reporting category scores and the ACT Readiness Ranges.

Developed for users of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), this user guide consolidates information about the LSAY 2009 cohort into one document. The guide aims to address all aspects of the LSAY data including: how to access the data; data restrictions; variable naming conventions; the structure of the data; documentation; classifications and code frames used; weights; and derived variables. Updates to the Y09 data file are appended. (Contains 14 tables, 9 figures and 6 footnotes.) [For supporting documents, see "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements A--Demographics. Technical Paper 74A" (ED536979); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B1--Education (School and School Transition). Technical Paper 74B1" (ED536973); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements B2--Education (Post-School). Technical Paper 74B2" (ED536975); "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements C--Employment. Technical Paper 74C" (ED536974); and "Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) 2009 Cohort User Guide: Data Elements D--Social. Technical Paper 74D" (ED536972).]

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 35 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. The Organisation for works with countries to develop skills strategies tailored to specific needs and contexts. The Organisation prepared a global skills strategy outline over the period 2011 to 2013. Each national skills strategy country project offers a tailored approach to focus on the unique skills challenges, context and objectives of each country. Each project leverages OECD comparative data and policy analysis, fosters collaboration across ministerial portfolios and levels of government while engaging all relevant stakeholders--employers, trade unions, and civil society organisations. In its paper "Towards an OECD Skills Strategy" (OECD 2013), the OECD sets out the main issues which must be addressed by efficient and effective policies for skills formation and skills use. The majority of material in each of the 13 case summaries presented here has been lifted mostly verbatim from original sources. These sources are stated at the beginning of each case summary. [This document is an added resource for the report "Identifying Work Skills: International Approaches. Discussion Paper" which can be accessed in ERIC at ED579874.]

The purpose of Project COMPETE is to use previous research and exemplary practices to develop and validate a model and training sequence to assist retarded youth to make the transition from school to employment in the most competitive environment possible. The taxonomy described in this project working paper focuses on instructional objectives in four domains. In the "Personal Maintenance and Development" domain are listed goals and objectives pertaining to routine body maintenance, illness treatment, establishing and maintaining personal relationships, and handling "glitches" such as equipment breakdowns. The "Homemaking and Community Life" domain focuses on goals and objectives related to finding and caring for one's living quarters, getting along with neighbors and others in the community, and handling the "glitches" that arise during daily community life such as household supplies depletion. The "Leisure" domain identifies goals and objectives for developing leisure activities, performing leisure activity routines, co-existing with others during leisure times, and handling such "glitches" as equipment breakdowns. In the "Travel" domain are listed tasks related to routine travel in the community, use of conveyances, co-existing with others while traveling, and handling glitches such as schedule changes. For each goal, the taxonomy also notes desirable precursors which, though not required prior to the time of instruction, can make instruction easier. (JDD)

The purpose of Project COMPETE is to use previous research and exemplary practices to develop and validate a model and training sequence to assist retarded youth to make the transition from school to employment in the most competitive environment possible. This project working paper lists vocational goals and objectives that individuals with developmental disabilities should learn in the normalization process. Creation of the taxonomy began with establishing an instructional aim--independence--meaning that the individual will be able to go where other people go, do what they do there, and not seem to be different because of his or her behavior. Identified are goals and objectives related to obtaining work, to performing the work routine, to co-existing with others on the job, and to handling "glitches" such as changes in work routine and work schedules. In addition to the goals and objectives, desirable precursors are noted, the presence of which makes instruction easier even though there is no requirement that the skill be present prior to the time instruction begins. This list of vocational tasks, in combination with four other domains (personal maintenance and development, homemaking and community life, leisure, and travel), makes up an entire taxonomy of instructional objectives for developmentally disabled persons. (JDD)

Presented at the national conference for AERA (American Educational Research Association) in April 2009. The large variability of SAT taker population across states makes state-by-state comparisons of the SAT scores challenging. Using a mixture modeling approach, therefore, the current study presents a method of identifying subpopulations in terms of SAT scores while taking into account the percentage of SAT takers so that state SAT scores within a subpopulation can be properly compared.

This document, a companion to the "LAS Guide Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment Systems," [ED484135] presents results that are intended to provide Maine's school administrative units with an option for selecting sample performance indicators to be assessed through the Local Assessment System to meet the requirements for the selection and distribution types as described in the LAS Guide Criterion 1. The data in this publication are the results from the Department of Education's Two-Day Balance of Representation Institute that was held May 5 and May 17, 2002 at the Banghor Civic Center. Appendices include: (1) Balance of Representation Participant Lists; (2) Agendas for Balance of Representation Sessions; (3) Rating Scales Used for Establishing Balance of Representation; (4) Performance Indicator Ratings by Discipline (Career Preparation; English Language Arts; Health and Physical Education; Mathematics; Modern and Classical Languages; Science and Technology; Social Studies; and Visual and Performing Arts); and (5) Graphic Representation of Content Standard Weightings by Discipline. [This document was prepared by the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.]

This paper features an expanded Web-based "Facilities Performance Indicators (FPI) Report." The purpose of APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (APPA's) Facilities Performance Indicators is to provide a representative set of statistics about facilities in educational institutions. The goal for this year was to enhance the survey and report tools by making them both more navigable, user-friendly, and accurate. APPA also automated many of the internal processes for the survey and report, which resulted in a better quality product that can be delivered faster and with more accuracy. [For the previously published report, "Facilities Performance Indicators Report 2013-14: Tracking Your Facilities Vital Signs," see ED581240.]

States participating in the four federally-funded assessment consortia are required to establish a "common definition of English Learner." This includes the two Race to the Top academic assessment consortia and the two Enhanced Assessment Grant English language proficiency (ELP) assessment consortia. This paper provides guidance that consortium member states can use to move toward establishing a common English learner definition in ways that are theoretically-sound, evidence-based, pragmatic, and sensitive to the many policy, technical, and legal issues. Specifically, the paper briefly outlines central issues, and discusses policy and technical options, for defining English learners using a four-stage framework of key criteria and processes to: (1) Identify a student as a "potential" English learner; (2) Classify (confirm/disconfirm) a student as an English learner; (3) Establish an "English-language proficient" performance standard on the state/consortium ELP test against which to assess ELs' English-language proficiency; and (4) Reclassify a student to former-EL status through the use of multiple exit criteria. Appended are: (1) Common English language proficiency performance descriptors based on an amalgamation of descriptors from CA, AZ, TX, and the WIDA Consortium; and (2) Methods for Establishing an English Language Proficient Performance Standard

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioned this paper to explore several questions about students who are English language learners (ELL) in Massachusetts: (1) For how many years is a typical ELL student in Massachusetts classified as limited English proficient (LEP)?; (2) How much variation is there in a the number of years it takes to exit a student from ELL services and LEP status, and does this suggest different policies and practices at the district level?; (3) How do formerly LEP students perform better if they exited LEP status relatively sooner than later; and (4) How predictive are MEPA scores in determining when ELL students transition out of LEP status? This paper reviews the data that bear on these questions to help identify successful approaches for transitioning ELL students out of LEP status and into the general education program. Tables are appended.

This handbook describes the structure and processes that the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) uses for its reviews, presenting in one place all the standards the WWC currently uses to assess research. The handbook will be revised as new standards are developed and major new features are finalized. A distinguishing feature of the WWC is that it does not directly assess programs, policies, or practices, but reviews and reports on the findings from existing research that meets particular standards. The handbook details the components of the review process, including defining the topic area, identifying all potential research papers that fit the topic area, screening in the eligible papers, defining and prioritizing interventions within the topic area, reviewing the studies of the intervention, producing intervention reports, and proceeding through several rounds of quality assurance before finalizing reports. Review topic areas are identified through a collaborative process combining input from policymakers, researchers, and experts in the field. The topic areas are organized around key student outcomes, with special attention given to academic outcomes, though topic areas might also be organized around non-academic outcomes. Topic areas currently under review include Beginning Reading, Dropout Prevention, Early Childhood Education, Elementary School Math, English Language Learners, and Middle School Math. Seven appendices are included: (1) Assessing Attrition Areas; (2) Effect Size Computations; (3) Clustering Correction of the Statistical Significance of Effects Estimated with Mismatched Analysis; (4) Benjamini-Hochberg Correction of the Statistical Significance of Effects Estimated with Multiple Comparisons; (5) Intervention Rating Scheme; (6) Computation of the Improvement Index; and (7) Extent of Evidence Categorization. An index is included. (Contains 14 footnotes, 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Colleges and state higher education agencies too often lack accurate information about the socioeconomic status (SES) of their students. This paper describes the methodology that Community College Research Center (CCRC) researchers used to estimate the SES of individual students in the Washington State community and technical college system using SES descriptors from the Census information on their geographic area of residence. Data collected by the federal government for the decennial Census provide indicators of SES for relatively small, homogenous geographic areas known as "block groups." Students' addresses were matched with Census block groups and then classified according to the average SES characteristics of their block group. The paper is organized as follows: Following an introduction, the second section describes how CCRC linked students with block groups to estimate their SES, defined in terms of household income, education, and occupation. This analysis was conducted by using data from both the 1990 and 2000 Censuses. In the third section, CCRC used cluster analysis to combine Census block groups into 15 demographically distinctive "community clusters," and then matched each student with a cluster. Doing this enabled them to classify students according to a richer set of information than just income, education, and occupation. These community clusters will be useful to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (WSBCTC) and its member colleges in gauging their "market penetration" in various demographic sectors of the state, and in identifying particular communities where students may face barriers to college access. Given the interest of the state in ensuring access to college by students from low-income families, the fourth section shows how the community clusters break out by SES. This paper concludes with some suggestions for ways that state agencies and colleges in other states can use this methodology. (Contains 5 figures, 2 tables, and 3 endnotes.) [This publication was written with David Prince and Doug Whittaker.]

Asserting that the ability to compare is basic to any cognitive process, this paper draws on Reuven Feuerstein's theory of mediated learning experience to guide teachers in encouraging the development of young students' spontaneous comparative abilities. Teachers are to provide students with concepts, labels, operations, and relationships to describe the similarities and differences among the stimuli they encounter. The teacher promotes students' feelings of independence and individuality by encouraging divergent responses and a flexibility in the use of attributes for comparison. The bulk of the paper is organized into two lessons for teachers: the importance and process of comparison; and mediating children's comparative activities. (EV)

This study describes a typology that allows us to explore and analyze the career and technical education (CTE) credit-taking experience of all high school students, not just those traditionally considered CTE (or vocational) students. We argue that this new typology provides a better framework for understanding CTE than the more traditional approach that classifies students as either academic or vocational concentrators. A typology like the one introduced in this paper is necessary because academic requirements have increased for all high school students in the United States, including those considered vocational students, and because most students, not just vocational students, participate in CTE at some level. Acknowledging these facts better reflects the varied nature of students' high school CTE credit-taking experiences. We propose this typology using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Our analyses of ELS:2002 data using this typology show that the typology provides a more effective means of understanding the credit-taking experience of high school students than analyses based on dichotomous, vocational versus academic frameworks. Our analyses show that about 17% of all high school students complete high-intensity CTE in addition to their academic requirements. Although CTE has historically targeted low-income and special populations, our study reveals high levels of participation among higher income students and those with parents with higher levels of educational achievement. Positive results were also found for academic outcomes, such as a high rate of high-intensity CTE participation among students who were also enrolled in advanced mathematics and, to a lesser extent, in advanced science classes.

This paper is an update of research report 2011-TS-02. It presents tables that show the minimum and maximum salaries for BC's Category 5 and Category 6, or equivalent, for provinces and territories. A sample of school districts is included for those provinces/territories with multiple collective agreements.

The national imperative for increased postsecondary level completions has never been clearer. In order to remain competitive in an ever-changing global market, the United States must produce an educated workforce; one that is ready to lead and inspire a 21st century economy. Recognizing this urgency, the President, several foundations, policy organizations, and states recently set several bold college completion goals. Since last year, the State Higher Education Executive Officers have added to the public dialogue with the release of a series of reports, including trends in national degree production and costs related to postsecondary completions and sub-baccalaureate certificate and degree growth. This report is a follow-up to "Degree Production and Cost Trends: A National Analysis", released in August 2010. With a focus on completions by program area over the last five years, the following questions continue to drive the authors' research and analysis: (1) What trends can be observed in completion production?; (2) Are there different state factors driving results?; and (3) What are the policy implications of a state's completion production? This analysis uses data downloaded directly from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), unlike the "Degree Productions and Costs Trends" report, which utilized the "Delta Cost Project's" dataset. To maintain consistency across these reports, institutions included in this analysis were based on data reported in the 2009 IPEDS Institutional Characteristics Survey. They include Title IV, public, postsecondary institutions from all fifty states that reported both full-time equivalent (FTE) and completions by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. This analysis looks at degrees and certificates awarded by fields of study based on data collected in the IPEDS Completions Survey. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) created the first CIP taxonomy in 1980 to track fields of study, which was revised in 1985, 1990, 2000, and, 2010. For the purposes of this analysis, the 2-digit CIP series is utilized rather than the 6-digit or 4-digit CIP codes, the latter of which are more specific descriptions of a field of study. Further, the 57 individual 2-digit CIP codes were categorized into nine groups (see Appendix 1b); seven of those groups are examined in this report: (1) Arts and Humanities; (2) Business and Communication; (3) Education; (4) Health; (5) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); (6) Social and Behavior Sciences and Human Services; and (7) Trades. Additionally, this report groups academic awards as follows: (1) Certificate includes: Award of less than 1 academic year; Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years; and Award of at least 2 but less than 4 academic years; (2) 2 or 4 Year Degree includes: Associates degree and Bachelors degree; (3) Advanced Degree includes: Masters degree; Doctors degree; and First-professional degree; and (4) Post Degree or Advanced Certificate includes: Post-masters certificate; Postbaccalaureate certificate; and First-professional certificate. Although this report looks at total completions rather than a ratio of completions by student, parts of the analysis use FTE to put completions data into greater context. IPEDS describes FTE as "a single value providing a meaningful combination of full-time and part-time students." IPEDS provides two different measures of FTE, one based on enrollment and the other based on contact and credit hours, in other words institutional activity. Since the FTE calculated from contact and credit hours represents an institution's annual activity, this report uses this annual student FTE measure for the years analyzed in this study, 2003-2004 to 2008-2009. Appended are: (1) Carnegie Classification Institution Types; and (2) SHEEO Groupings of Program Areas Based on 2-Digit CIP Codes. (Contains 10 figures, 6 tables and 5 footnotes.) [This paper was written with support from Chris Crumrine and Tanya I. Garcia.

A decade ago, before the tech boom collapsed and the digital economy bubble burst, it seemed to some that issues surrounding information technology (IT) might be central to the politics of the early 21st century. But after September 11, 2001, with so much else on everyone's minds, "digital politics" seemed a boring sideshow. Technocrats, techno-wonks, and computer engineers argued over such issues as the finer points of open source versus proprietary software, while the rest used the Internet in peace. Recently, however, digital politics have made a comeback, with associated issues in the media constantly and before Congress seemingly every week. The debate over IT policy issues does not take place in a vacuum or only in the corridors of Congress. From think tanks to trade associations to single-issue advocacy groups, a proliferation of organizations fights to shape digital policy debates. The paper presents a field guide to help the reader understand the politics of IT. It describes the major groups of players in the IT policy debate and discusses how they differ along two key dimensions shaping policy: individual empowerment vs. societal benefit; and laissez-faire vs. government regulation. It then uses four timely and important policy cases (privacy, taxation, copyright protection, and net neutrality) to illuminate how these politics play out today in the United States. While primarily focused on American digital politics, this framework is not entirely unique to the United States. (Contains 9 endnotes.)

This annual report updates the tuition and fee prices published by all of the public higher education institutions in the WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) member states. It is the product of an annual survey administered to the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) offices in each state, with a couple of exceptions. There is no centralized coordinating or governing body for the two-year colleges in Arizona or for the technical institutes in South Dakota. Therefore, personnel at the individual institutions in those two states responded to this survey. Appendices include: (1) The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; (2) Number of Public Four-Year Institutions by Carnegie Classification in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (3) Number of Public Two-Year Institutions by State in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (4) Procedure for Converting Current Dollars to Constant Dollars; (5) Methodology; (6) Mandatory Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (7) Mandatory Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; and (8) Survey Instructions. (Contains 21 tables and 78 endnotes.) [This paper was prepared by the Office of Policy Analysis and Research.]

This "Packet of Information for Professionals" (PIP) was developed for professionals who work with gifted and talented students who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of PIP is to offer recommendations that will lead to a positive experience for twice-exceptional students who participate in specialized programs for gifted/talented students. This PIP was originally developed in 2007 for the Student Program Faculty and Professional Staff of the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development (B-BC). It has been revised and expanded to incorporate multiple forms of special gifted programs including academic year Saturday programs, which can be both enrichment or accelerative; non-residential summer programs; and residential summer programs. Appended are: (1) Definition of Giftedness; (2) Disability Categories of IDEA; (3) Explanation of Federal Protections for Students with Disabilities; (4) Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); (5) The Assessment Process at the Belin-Blank Center's Assessment and Counseling Clinic; (6) Web Sites for People Who Work with Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); and (7) Annotated Bibliography. [Funding for this paper was provided by Messengers of Healing Winds Foundation.]

This "Packet of Information for Families" (PIF) was developed for parents whose children are identified as both gifted/ talented and on the autism spectrum, or twice-exceptional. Parents of twice-exceptional children often search for appropriate and challenging enrichment programs for their child, but the dearth of information available about how best to prepare for this experience can make the process overwhelming. Recommendations for preparing a child vary depending on the type of program and age of the student; therefore, some of the information provided in PIF may not be applicable to one's specific situation. To help navigate through this process, the authors have provided a figure in Section II that outlines specific issues related to residential programs and/or non-residential programs. They hope that PIF provides support and guidance to parents who are often in situations of having to advocate for their twice-exceptional child. PIF is designed to complement the "Packet of Information for Professionals," (PIP). Appended are: (1) Maryland Report (1972) Definition of Giftedness; (2) The Thirteen IDEA Disability Categories; (3) Explanation of Federal Protections for Students with Disabilities; (4) Explanation of Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs); (5) Explanation of a 504 Plan; (6) The Belin-Blank Center's Assessment and Counseling Clinic; (7) Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); (8) Optional Student Disclosure Sheet; (9) Web Sites for Parents with a Child with ASD; and (10) Books on Asperger Syndrome/High Functioning Autism. [Funding for this paper was provided by the Messengers of Healing Winds Foundation.]

This report tracks federal spending from 1960 to 2006 and uses current policy and some assumptions to project activity through 2017. The report looks at more than 100 major programs that aim to improve children's lives through income security, health care, social services, food and nutritional aid, housing, education, training, and tax credits and exemptions for their families. It provides the most comprehensive examination to date of trends in federal spending on children. It charts the relative changes---and therefore, shifting national emphases---between children's spending and spending on other programs, as well as among different types of children's spending. In this report, children are defined as residents of the United States under age 19. (Contains 3 tables and 19 figures.) [Focus First also sponsored this research. This report is an update and an expansion of the path-breaking work of Rebecca L. Clark, Rosalind Berkowitz King, Christopher Spiro, and C. Eugene Steuerle, "Federal Expenditures on Children: 1960-1997, Assessing the New Federalism." Occasional Paper Number 45, Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2000. (ED454306)]

Because of the limitations of the traditional approaches to classifying a child's characteristics, a number of authors have proposed to describe children on the basis of a defined set of functional skills or abilities rather than by etiological or deficit category (Bailey et al. (1993); Holt (1957); Linden (1963)). Building on this earlier work, Simeonsson and Bailey (1988) developed the ABILITIES Index (AI), an index designed to assess functional characteristics rather than skills. Although the ABILITIES Index was not originally designed to link student characteristics to the patterns of expenditure variations, the size of the SEEP (Special Education Expenditure Project) student sample offers a unique opportunity to apply the AI classification scheme to explore how such a tool might be used to explain the patterns of variations in expenditures on students with disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to compare the variance in expenditures explained by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) disability categories with the dimensions delineated in the ABILITIES Index. The report demonstrates that the AI and IDEA disability categories are useful both independently and together in explaining the variation in expenditures on students with disabilities, while controlling for other student background and community/regional variables. The analysis that follows includes three stages. The first stage determines the percentage of the variation in spending explained by the student's primary disability (from among the 13 IDEA disability categories). The second phase explores whether a particular child has a second, third, or more disabilities, and explores the extent to which these disabilities contribute to expenditure variations. The third phase of the analysis examines an alternative approach to classifying students. A bibliography is included. (Contains 10 exhibits and 8 footnotes.)

Bayesian and classical approaches to classification of vocational data were compared using an educational data set from a longitudinal study of professional growth and development in organizations (P. Ruohotie et al., 1994). Data were from 2,430 workers in companies in Finland who completed a questionnaire with behavior and background statements. The main purpose of this study was to look for new possibilities in analyzing multiform vocational data starting from the level at which traditional linear methods become too complex to apply. After describing the data and the theory of professional growth, the paper discusses linear discrimination and its use in the social sciences. Bayesian modeling with the BAYDA software package is described. It is concluded that linear and nonlinear methods support each other depending on the subject of the study. The Bayesian approach, in the form of the BAYDA program, is still under rapid development, but it appears to provide a valuable tool for analysis. (Contains 10 figures, 21 tables, and 12 references.) (SLD)

Texas A&M University-Kingsville library looks for students that will be able to work the full four years of their university stay. The Government Documents department has the additional task of finding students who both like and are precise in working with numbers, and instructing those students on how to read Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification. This paper addresses the problem of efficiently and routinely training Government Document student assistants in libraries, and includes the different training tools that are utilized in the newly developed written training program. Highlights include a description of government documents; federal government departments (agencies); category class structure; congressional information; tools for locating documents; student assistant training checklist; the government documents student assistant spot check form; and the student assistant SuDoc multiple choice test. (AEF)

An approach to teaching the paradigmatic and reciprocal uses of the "se" construction in Spanish is presented. A system of eight basic categories of the paradigmatic reflexives is outlined, including "do-it-yourself," reciprocal, reflexive of change, consumer, reflexive of interest, optional, change of meaning, and reflexive-only classifications. Textbook treatments of the constructions are reviewed, and the common limitations found include partial explanations, misleading information such as the use of incomplete English translations, erroneous information, and drills that do not help the teacher recognize student problems. The proposed approach focuses on the order of presentation of the categories of uses and on the nature of the drills and practice items. The categories are grouped for presentation in this order: reflexive of change, preferably presented separately for animate and inanimate subjects; change of meaning; reflexive-only and optional; reflexive of interest and consumer; and "do-it-yourself" and reciprocal. Practice exercises requiring creative responses, including guided questions, guided dialogues, and transformation exercises are recommended and some samples are appended. (MSE)

This guide to affective social skill development discusses these points: (1) The targets of our efforts are first of all teachers, then the peer group, and finally individuals, (2) Systematic training of teachers, both in the cognitive and experimental basis of human relationships, is a necessary prerequisite to the implementation and development of an affective-social skills program, (3) needs assessment of individual problems and support systems constitute an imperative prerequisite for implementing an affective-social development program, (4) Risk factors and support systems can be optimally identified for individuals in a group setting through the use of multi-method, multi-trait assessment and computer analysis and feedback; (5) Developmental strategies of intervention can be parsimoniously grouped under three functional classifications (feedback, social modeling and reinforcement, and environmental change), (6) Developmental interventions are easier than crisis reconstructions, and are most effective when teachers are provided direct information regarding high-risk, low-support children that they can apply individually and in small groups; (7) Change is developmental and multi-dimensional. It does not occur uniformly; (8) Temperament-aptitude clusters are associated with risk-support dimensions and mediate susceptibility to treatment and change outcomes; and (9) change in affective-social skills can and should be measured by an array of indicators. (Author/JLL)

This paper addresses the need for having a specialist in vocational guidance who knows what needs to be done to implement and improve vocational guidance services. The person who fills the role of vocational guidance specialist must be aware of the potential roles that each group within the educational system can play in fostering needed guidance services, and must serve as a catalyst for bringing these resources together into a viable program. To do this, the author posits that the specialist must have an in-depth and practical understanding of the educational system, the world of work, the individual and the process of vocational development, and procedures for bringing people together in a common effort. For purposes of providing insight into the breadth and level of this person's understanding, the author provides a comprehensive description of relevant competencies. (SJL)

The paper reviews state categorical funding programs to serve special need populations among school age children (including handicapped, educationally disadvantaged, bilingual, and vocational education students); examines the literature on costs of categorical programs; and presents an alternative framework for addressing the problem. A cost based funding approach is advocated which would provide equal access to educational resources across local districts serving similar student populations. The model also makes provisions for systematic differences in access to resources to districts serving special populations. It is explained as an approach which gives policy makers a basis to examine cost savings in trade offs among resources and programs. Applications of the resource cost model are presented along with a section on the step by step process of constructing a cost estimate in a hypothetical school district. A final section addresses equity and efficiency issues of the model. (CL)

This handbook treats a restricted set of statistical procedures for addressing some of the most prevalent technical issues that arise in domain-referenced testing. The procedures discussed here were chosen because they do not necessitate extensive computations. The five major sections of the paper cover: (1) item analysis procedures for using data to help identify items that may be flawed; (2) a simple procedure for establishing a cutting score; (3) a procedure for establishing an advancement score; (4) two types of error that can be made when a decision about an examinee is based on the examinee's observed score rather than his or her universe score; and (5) a number of issues associated with assessing the quality of domain-referenced measurement procedures for a group of examinees. (Author/BW)

Five activity booklets are presented for implementing Project EAGLE, an enrichment program for gifted and talented primary-level children. The first booklet, "Sound," contains four activity pages to accompany teaching of the concept that sound is transmitted through air to the ear. The "Groups 1" booklet provides nine enrichment activities involving classification of people and objects into groups based on variable attributes. "Geoboards 1" illustrates 10 geoboard shapes for students to copy on their geoboards and on paper. "Animals 1" presents five activities dealing with the different habitats of animals (air, land, and water.) "Dinosaurs 1" identifies dinosaurs and classifies them as herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores in six enrichment activities. (JDD)

Defining regularity in the English language is not a straightforward matter because of the complex relations between sound and spelling. Predictable patterns are those spellings that can be readily predicted from pronunciation. Rare and unpredictable spellings are found only in a small set of words--probably 10% or less of the vocabulary in English. However, the boundary between rare and frequent unpredictable patterns is unclear. Since rarity has no absolute values, such distinctions in instruction must be made on other grounds such as the usefulness of the words. A three-way categorization, which parallels a linguistic classification based on sound-to-spelling correspondences and which also includes eight categories relevant to learning to spell, seems most suitable for the design and development of spelling instruction. These three categories are based on the type of learner behavior appropriate for different words and rules. The first class (predictable spellings) covers words that students should be able to spell simply by listening to the sounds and applying the rules that have been taught. The second class (unpredictable and rare spellings) covers words that must be memorized by sight, and the third class (unpredictable but common spellings) covers words in which the sounds should help students know how the words may be spelled, but students must learn the words by memory or must check in a dictionary in order to determine the exact spelling. (HOD)