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Like most other states, Missouri uses assessments intended to measure whether students are on a pathway to "college and career readiness." The state longitudinal data system now has the capacity to directly test that claim. We make use of 8th-grade assessment (MAP) scores in Math, Science, and Communication Arts for roughly 260,000 first-time Missouri freshmen who began high school between Fall, 2009 and Fall, 2012. These students were tracked through high school and for five years following on-time high school graduation. We find a strong positive association between MAP performance scores in 8th grade Math, Science, and Communication Arts and post-secondary college attendance and degree completion. This is true overall and for White, Black, and Hispanic students disaggregated by gender. Proficiency on all three exams matters even more. Based on a logistic forecasting model, if all students who scored below Proficient on the 8th-grade MAP raised their scores to Proficient, the number earning post-secondary degrees would increase by roughly 50 percent. Black and Hispanic students earning post-secondary degrees would increase by roughly 150 and 75 percent, respectively. We conclude that 8th-grade MAP proficiency scores are highly informative about whether students are on a pathway to college and career readiness.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with NWEA for the development of the 2024 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2024 Grades 6 and 7 English Language Arts Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the areas of reading and writing. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For Grades 6 and 7, the tests consist of multiple-choice (1-credit) and constructed-response (2- and 4-credit) questions. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their multiple-choice responses on a separate answer sheet. For Session 1, students will write their responses to the constructed-response questions in their separate answer booklets. For Session 2, students will write their responses to these questions directly in their test booklets. By following the guidelines in this document, teachers help ensure that the test is valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with NWEA for the development of the 2024 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2024 Grades 3 and 4 English Language Arts Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the areas of reading and writing. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For Grades 3 and 4, the tests consist of 1-credit multiple-choice questions, 2-credit constructed-response questions, and 4-credit (Grade 4 only) constructed-response questions. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their multiple-choice responses on a separate answer sheet. For Session 1, students will write their responses to the constructed-response questions in their separate answer booklets. For Session 2, students will write their responses to these questions directly in the test booklets. By following the guidelines in this document, teachers help ensure that the test is valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2022 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2020 subgroup data presented in this report accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2022: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (ED627365) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2022: Secondary School Students" (ED627366). The trends shown in both tabular and graphic forms in this report cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification.

Research reveals better school and student outcomes, especially for teachers and children of color, when a principal of color is at the helm. One way to improve the educational experiences of schoolchildren across the country is to increase their access to leaders of color--and strengthen the caliber of teaching and leading in our nation's schools. Yet, despite the fact that diversity among our nation's students is growing, diversity among teachers, principals, and district leaders continues to lag. This is known as the representation gap. Strategic investments are needed to develop the next generation of school leaders who better reflect the communities they serve. A recent survey of district leaders conducted by New Leaders suggests a disconnect between intention and actions taken to advance diversity. The majority of respondents state that their district is committed to improving the diversity of its leaders, but an almost equal number report that there is no clear leadership path for educators of color within their district. Building a diverse pipeline of school leaders who are well prepared and supported enables districts to retain the kind of talent that ensures all students thrive. This paper examines five actions school districts can take to shape the future of educational leadership in their district. [For the executive summary of this series, "Closing the Representation Gap: A Series of Papers on Reshaping Educational Leadership for the Future," see ED625674.]

The instructions in this manual explain the responsibilities of school administrators for the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Paper-Based Field Tests. School administrators must be thoroughly familiar with the contents of the manual, and the policies and procedures must be followed as written so that field testing conditions are uniform statewide. This School Administrator's Manual for Paper-Based Field Testing also serves to guide school administrators in general field test administration activities for paper-based field testing. [For the 2021 manual, see ED613295.]

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented in this technical assessment paper are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection and use of appropriate student assessment are included in this technical assistance paper. Additionally, the following important information for adult education programs is reviewed: (1) Definition of key terms and acronyms; (2) Selection of appropriate assessments by student and program type; (3) Appropriate student placement into program and instructional level; (4) Verification of student learning gains, Educational Functioning Level and/or program completion; (5) Accommodations for students with disabilities and other special needs; (6) Assessment procedures for Distance Education; and (7) Training for all staff who administer the standardized assessments. [For the 2021-2022 report, see ED616047.]

From 2010 onwards, most US states have aligned their education standards by adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for math and English Language Arts. The CCSS did not target other subjects such as science and social studies. We estimate spillovers of the CCSS on student achievement in non-targeted subjects in models with state and year fixed effects. Using student achievement data from the NAEP, we show that the CCSS had a negative effect on student achievement in non-targeted subjects. This negative effect is largest for underprivileged students, exacerbating racial and socioeconomic student achievement gaps. Using teacher surveys, we show that the CCSS caused a reduction in instructional focus on nontargeted subjects. [Financial support was provided by DAAD and the Leibniz Competition.]

To address chronically low primary school completion rates and the disconnect between learners' skills at the end of primary school and the skills learners need to thrive in secondary school identified in many low- and middle-income countries, more investment is needed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in upper primary grades. Accordingly, we provide guidelines for improving five components of upper primary education: (1) In-service teacher professional development and pre-service preparation to improve and enhance teacher quality; (2) a focus on mathematics, literacy, and core content-area subjects; (3) assessment for learning; (4) high-quality teaching and learning materials; and (5) positive school climates. We provide foundational guiding principles and recommendations for intervention design and implementation for each component. Additionally, we discuss and propose how to structure and design pre-service teacher preparation and in-service teacher training and ongoing support, fortified by materials design and assessment, to help teachers determine where learners are in developmental progressions, move learners towards mastery, and differentiate and support learners who have fallen behind. We provide additional suggestions for integrating a whole-school climate curriculum, social-emotional learning, and school related gender-based violence prevention strategies to address the internal and societal changes learners often face as they enter upper primary.

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented in this technical assessment paper are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection and use of appropriate student assessment are included in this technical assistance paper. Additionally, the following important information for adult education programs is reviewed: (1) The definition of key terms and acronyms; (2) Selection of appropriate assessments by student and program type; (3) Appropriate student placement into program and instructional level; (4) Verification of student learning gains, Educational Functioning Level, and/or program completion; (5) Accommodations for students with disabilities and other special needs; (6) Assessment procedures for Distance Education; and and (7) Training for all staff who administer the standardized assessments. [For the "2019-2020 Florida Adult Education Assessment Technical Assistance Paper," see ED600585.]

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented herein are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection and use of appropriate student assessment are included. Additionally, the following important information for adult education programs is reviewed: (1) the definition of key terms and acronyms; (2) selection of appropriate assessments by student and program type; (3) appropriate student placement into program and instructional level; (4) verification of student learning gains, Educational Functioning Level and/or program completion; (5) accommodations for students with disabilities and other special needs; (6) assessment procedures for Distance Education; and (7) training for all staff who administer the standardized assessments. [For the "2020-2021 Florida Adult Education Assessment Technical Assistance Paper," see ED609706.]

For more than two decades, tax-credit scholarship (TCS) policies have helped American families provide their children with the learning environment that meets their individual needs. Now available in 19 states, nearly 300,000 students nationwide use tax-credit scholarships to attend the school of their family's choice. TCS policies create an incentive for taxpayers to contribute to nonprofit scholarship organizations that aid families with tuition and, in some states, other K-12 educational expenses. As with other policies, their ultimate success or failure depends greatly on how they are designed. This paper explores the central design features of TCS policies--such as eligibility, the tax credit value, credit caps, and academic accountability provisions--and outlines the different approaches taken by the TCS policies in each state. The paper also offers suggestions regarding each feature for policymakers who want to design a TCS policy that most likely to succeed at its central purpose: empowering families to provide their children with the education that works best for them. To that end, the paper recommends designing each policy element in such a way that they maximize the incentive that taxpayers have to contribute to scholarship organizations, maximize the number of families that can benefit from the scholarships, and maximize the freedom and flexibility that scholarship organizations have to serve those families. A summary of these suggestions can be found in the conclusion. Finally, the appendix offers policymakers a wide variety of additional resources, including model legislation, parent satisfaction and public opinion surveys, research of fiscal effects, various policy briefs on tax-credit scholarships, information about the constitutional landscape, and public relations resources. [Introduction by Theodor Rebarber. Foreword by Kendra Espinoza.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2019 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The 2018 subgroup data presented in this report accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2019: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (see ED604018) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2018: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (see ED599067). The trends presented in this occasional paper in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

This technical assistance paper provides policy and guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. The Florida assessment policies and guidelines presented in this paper are appropriate for state and federal reporting. Therefore, guidance and procedures regarding the selection and use of appropriate student assessment are also included. Additionally, the following important information for adult education programs is reviewed: (1) The definition of key terms and acronyms; (2) Selection of appropriate assessments by student and program type; (3) Appropriate student placement into program and instructional level; (4) Verification of student learning gains, Educational Functioning Level, and/or program completion; (5) Accommodations for students with disabilities and other special needs; (6) Assessment procedures for Distance Education; and and (7) Training for all staff who administer the standardized assessments. [For the "2018-2019 Florida Adult Education Assessment Technical Assistance Paper," see ED600582.]

Throughout the years, career and technical education (CTE) has focused on teaching technical competencies and related academic skills that prepare students to enter and advance in a variety of career fields and postsecondary education. Program and course descriptions are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that the technical and academic skills identified for each program or course meet industry standards as well as requirements established by regulatory boards. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the following: (1) legal basis for basic skills assessment in CTE; (2) procedures to be followed throughout the assessment process; (3) counseling of students who do not meet the basic skills exit requirements; (4) exemptions or waivers of basic skills requirements; (5) accommodations for students with disabilities; and (6) legislative changes.

The New York State Department of Education (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 Mathematics Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020 Grades 6-8 Mathematics Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For all three grades, the tests consist of multiple-choice (1-point) and short- (2-point) and extended-response (3-point) questions. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their responses on a separate answer sheet. The short- and extended-response questions require students to write (rather than select) appropriate responses. Students write their answers to these questions directly in their test booklets. This document provides guidelines to help teachers ensure that the tests are valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule. [For "New York State Testing Program: 2020 Grades 3-5 Mathematics Paper-Based Tests. Teacher's Directions (April 21-23, 2020)," see ED606135.]

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 Mathematics Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020 Grades 3-5 Mathematics Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For all three grades, the tests consist of multiple-choice (1-point) and short- (2-point) and extended-response (3-point) questions. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their responses on a separate answer sheet. The short- and extended-response questions require students to write (rather than select) appropriate responses. Students write their answers to these questions directly in their test booklets. This document provides guidelines to help teachers ensure that the tests are valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule. [For "New York State Testing Program: 2020 Grades 6-8 Mathematics Paper-Based Tests. Teacher's Directions (April 21-23, 2020)," see ED606128.]

European policy-making in vocational education and training (VET) needs to be supported by sound evidence. In this report, Cedefop has selected a set of 36 indicators to quantify some key aspects of VET and lifelong learning. The selection was based on the indicators' policy relevance and their importance in achieving the Europe 2020 objectives. This publication should be regarded as a tool to help policy-makers better understand and assess VET developments in each country. While this set of indicators does not claim to assess national systems or policies, they could be used to reflect on country situations and progress towards the strategic objectives set for Europe. The indicators present statistical information about all European Union Member States as well as Iceland, North Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. The report selects and presents developments over time to the best possible extent at the time of its preparation. [This publication was produced by Cedefop, Department for Skills and Labour Market. For "On the Way to 2020: Data for Vocational Education and Training Policies. Country Statistical Overviews--2016 Update. Cedefop Research Paper. No 61," see ED573446.]

The World Health Organization and World Bank (2011) estimate that there are more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world. To address this population's diverse needs, the United Nations drafted their Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006. Article 24 (Education) of the CRPD requires ratifying countries to develop an inclusive education system to address the educational needs of students with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities. Despite substantive improvements and movement toward inclusive education, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to struggle with accurately identifying and supporting students with disabilities, including knowing how to effectively screen, evaluate, and qualify students for additional services (Hayes, Dombrowski, Shefcyk, & Bulat, 2018a). These challenges stem from the lack of policies, practices, and qualified staff related to screening and identification. As a result, many students with less-apparent disabilities--such as children with learning disabilities--remain unidentified and do not receive the academic supports they need to succeed in school (Friend & Bursuck, 2012). This guide attempts to address the lack of appropriate, useful disability screening and identification systems and services as countries look to educate all students in inclusive settings. Specifically, this guide introduces viable options for screening and identification related to vision, hearing, and learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms in LMICs. It also provides guidance on how LMICs can transition from an assessment-center model toward a school-based identification model that better serves an inclusive education system.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020 Grades 3-5 English Language Arts Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the areas of reading and writing. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For all three grades, each test consists of multiple-choice (1-point) and short-response (2-point) questions and an extended-response (4-point) question. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their responses on a separate answer sheet. The short- and extended-response questions require students to write (rather than select) appropriate responses. Students write their answers to these questions directly in their test booklets. By following the guidelines in this document, teachers help ensure that the test is valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule. [For "New York State Testing Program: 2020 Grades 3-5 English Language Arts Computer-Based Tests. Teacher's Directions (March 24-31, 2020)," see ED605934.]

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2020 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2020 Grades 6-8 English Language Arts Tests are administered in two sessions on two consecutive school days. Students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the areas of reading and writing. Students will have as much time as they need each day to answer the questions in the test sessions within the confines of the regular school day. For all three grades, each test consists of multiple-choice (1-point) and short-response (2-point) questions and an extended-response (4-point) question. Each multiple-choice question is followed by four choices, one of which is the correct answer. Students record their responses on a separate answer sheet. The short- and extended-response questions require students to write (rather than select) appropriate responses. Students write their answers to these questions directly in their test booklets. By following the guidelines in this document, teachers help ensure that the test is valid, reliable, and equitable for all students. A series of instructions helps teachers organize the materials and the testing schedule. [For "New York State Testing Program: 2020 Grades 6-8 English Language Arts Computer-Based Tests. Teacher's Directions (March 24-31, 2020)," see ED605942.]

This paper defines the European Students' Union (ESU) opinions on the topics related to internationalisation and learning mobility. This document is both an advancement and a cohesive overview of ESU's existing positions on internationalisation and mobility in higher education. This paper offers both definitions and elaborations on relevant policy areas, and should function as a framework and a guide for both students and other actors in higher education across Europe. This Policy Paper was adopted at the European Students' Union Board Meeting 76 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The trends are presented in tabular and graphic forms and cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 385 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

Purpose: A burgeoning literature investigates the importance of student teaching placements for teacher candidate development, but an important perspective that is largely missing from the existing literature is that of the school districts that host student teachers. In this paper, we describe the student teaching process from the perspective of Spokane Public Schools (SPS), highlighting the challenges associated with the student teacher placement process and several initiatives SPS has undertaken to improve student teaching experiences for teacher candidates. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic effort by a school district to improve the student teaching process and study the effects on teacher candidate outcomes. Conceptual Argument: Teacher education programs and school districts have a mutual interest in creating high-quality student teaching experiences. A fundamental challenge in efforts to improve student teaching is that teacher education programs have no authority over what happens to student teachers in the classrooms of public school districts. The initiatives undertaken by SPS illustrate the potential for districts to take a leadership role in defining the student teaching process and highlight some of the challenges inherent in hosting student teachers. Implications: The extent to which other districts have taken an active role in defining the student teaching process is unclear, but the experience of SPS thus far suggests that playing an active role can be a positive step toward improving the training received by the teacher candidates who are likely to be staffing their schools in the future.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2017 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2017 subgroup data presented accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Volume I, Secondary School Students." Prior to 2014 subgroup data were available in tabular form only in Appendices B and D of the relevant year's "Volume I." Since 2014, the MTF subgroup definitions and data have been presented in this series of occasional papers, in both tables and figures to facilitate the examination and interpretation of trend data. The "Overview of Key Findings" presents trends in prevalence, perceived risk, disapproval, and perceived availability for most drugs under study and a brief description of subgroup differences. Volume I contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds--licit and illicit--and a number of related factors, such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, noncontinuation of drug use, perceived availability, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. The trends offered in this report in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 385 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels. [For the report from the previous year "Demographic Subgroup Trends among Adolescents in the Use of Various Licit and Illicit Drugs, 1975-2016. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper Series. Paper 88," see ED578738. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED589762. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume I, Secondary School Students," see ED589763. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2017. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED589764.]

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to learning disabilities and describes the processes and practices that are necessary for the identification process. It also describes a phased approach that countries can use to assess their current screening and evaluation services, as well as determine the steps needed to develop, strengthen, and build systems that support students with learning disabilities. This guide also provides intervention recommendations that teachers and school administrators can implement at each phase of system development. Although this guide primarily addresses learning disabilities, the practices, processes, and systems described may be also used to improve the identification of other disabilities commonly encountered in schools. [This guide is a complimentary resource to "School and Classroom Disabilities Inclusion Guide for Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Occasional Paper. RTI Press Publication OP-0031-1701" (ED582357) and "Disabilities Inclusive Education Systems and Policies Guide for Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Occasional Paper. RTI Press Publication OP-0043-1707" (ED581498).]

The inter-district school choice law in Massachusetts was passed in 1991. Its two main goals were to provide education options to Massachusetts parents and children, and to spur competition among districts. School choice allows school districts to enroll non-resident pupils from other districts at a tuition cost that starts at $5,000 but averages more than $6,000 when special education expenses are added in. The tuition is paid entirely by the students' home districts, at no cost to the parents. In fiscal year 2017, more than 16,000 of the Commonwealth's 950,000 students were enrolled as choice pupils. Nearly 60 percent (190) of the state's 322 school districts accepted students through the program. There is one common complaint about the program. The law says the tuition rate should be 75 percent of the receiving district's per pupil expenditure or $5,000, whichever is lower. The $5,000 cap has been in place since the program's inception 27 years ago. At this point all receiving districts are subject to that cap, which should be raised to levels high enough to incentivize more high-performing districts to accept non-residents. At the same time, consideration must be given to maintaining fiscal stability in the sending districts. Even those who are aware of the program may be uninformed about the specifics of how it actually works. The admission process is designed to be open and non-discriminatory. Treatment of students after admission is straightforward: the students treated just like residents. The funding is at first blush blessedly simple--$5,000 per pupil plus any special education charges--but if one digs deeper it becomes far more intricate. Recently, there has been little independent research published on the topic perhaps because it has changed very little since it's inception. This paper attempts to bring into focus not just the mechanics of how it functions, but some of the issues surrounding the program, and recommendations for how they might be resolved in the future.

UMass' flagship Amherst campus has become increasingly prestigious over the last decade and a half. The growing prominence of UMass Amherst has made the school competitive with the nation's most elite public universities. However, the policies that have largely driven the school's standings have controversial implications for Massachusetts residents seeking to enroll there. Massachusetts students are finding it increasingly difficult to gain admission, and some parents of rejected or waitlisted UMass applicants share concerns that the University has prioritized maximizing the financial benefit derived from accepting out-of-state students over serving in-state applicants. Based on information provided to Pioneer Institute by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in response to a public records request, there are notable differences when comparing the profiles of in-state and out-of-state students accepted at UMass Amherst. Admissions changes, taken from publicly reported UMass Amherst data, show a pattern in which a higher proportion of out-of-state students have been accepted to UMass each year for over a decade, with the exception of fall 2017, when more in-state than out-of-state students were accepted for the first time since 2014. The combined trends of increasing the volume of out-of-state acceptances and a slightly higher acceptance rate for this cohort suggest that it is getting easier for out-of-state students to matriculate at UMass Amherst, while admissions standards have become disproportionately more rigorous for Massachusetts residents. The UMass system has aggressively sought to increase its out-of-state population, and UMass Amherst in particular has defended its nonresident recruitment efforts. Data presented by the 2016 Pioneer reports combined with information in this paper delineate UMass' proactive out-of-state recruitment. Examples from other state university systems offer useful guidance to address these trends and ameliorate the harm to Massachusetts residents.

Throughout the years, career and technical education (CTE) has focused on teaching technical competencies and related academic skills that prepare students to enter and advance in a variety of career fields and postsecondary education. Program and course descriptions are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that the technical and academic skills identified for each program or course meet industry standards as well as requirements established by regulatory boards. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about: (1) the legal basis for basic skills assessment in career and technical education (CTE); (2) procedures to be followed throughout the assessment process; (3) counseling of students who do not meet the basic skills exit requirements; (4) exemptions or waivers of basic skills requirements; (5) accommodations for students with disabilities and English Language Learners (ELL); and (6) legislative changes.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2016 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th , 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2016 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (ED578534) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (ED578730). The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 367 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those lower grade levels.

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of, and trends in, the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8 and 15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are discussed in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of community size. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016. Volume II, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578605.]

Over the past decade, RTI International has pursued the goal of quality, inclusive, differentiated early grade literacy instruction in nearly 30 early grade reading or early grade literacy programs in low- and middle-income (LMI) countries. Across our diverse portfolio, we have supported Ministries of Education (Ministries) in diverse contexts in their development and implementation of research-based early grade literacy programs and have learned important lessons based on our experience working with Ministries to design, develop, and implement early grade literacy programs. This paper describes the core elements that we have found to improve early grade literacy instruction and learner outcomes: the approach to teaching (Teach), the availability of quality, relevant learner materials (Text), the effective use of instructional time (Time), the use of formative assessment to guide instruction (Test), and provision of instruction in the most effective language (Tongue). This paper focuses on the acquisition of literacy in alphabetic and alphasyllabic languages in the early primary years (most typically, academic levels 1 through 3) and the kinds of exposures, instruction, and support learners need to become fully literate. These are the elements of a literacy program that can be taught, that should be present in teaching and learning materials and in teacher trainings, and that relate specifically to what happens in a classroom. Many more factors contribute to literacy acquisition. However, we focus on the core elements in this paper to delve deeper and facilitate a richer discussion about these components. No one-size-fits-all approach to the development and implementation of literacy programs exists; the local context and constraints of any implementation can require adaptation and adjustments. In many cases, the fully diversified approach to early grade literacy instruction described in the classroom scenario has not yet been achieved. However, we hope that this compilation of lessons learned and best practices achieved through our experiences will help to further the efforts of all to provide high-quality, effective literacy instruction to all learners, particularly those in LMI countries.

We estimate racial/ethnic achievement gaps in several hundred metropolitan areas and several thousand school districts in the United States using the results of roughly 200 million standardized math and reading tests administered to public school students from 2009-2013. We show that achievement gaps vary substantially, ranging from nearly 0 in some places to larger than 1.2 standard deviations in others. Economic, demographic, segregation, and schooling characteristics explain roughly three-quarters of the geographic variation in these gaps. The strongest correlates of achievement gaps are local racial/ethnic differences in parental income, local average parental education levels, and patterns of racial/ethnic segregation, consistent with a theoretical model in which family socioeconomic factors affect educational opportunity partly though residential and school segregation patterns. Contains appendices. [This paper was written with the assistance of Ross Santy, Michael Hawes, and Marilyn Seastrom.]

Having a disability can be one of the most marginalizing factors in a child's life. In education, finding ways to meet the learning needs of students with disabilities can be challenging, especially in schools, districts, regions, and countries with severely limited resources. Inclusive education--which fully engages all students, including students with disabilities or other learning challenges, in quality education--has proven particularly effective in helping all students learn, even while challenges to implementing inclusive education systems remain. This guide provides suggestions for developing inclusive education systems and policies, especially for low- and middle-income countries that are moving from a segregated system toward an inclusive system of education. We specifically address the needs of countries with limited resources for implementing inclusive education. However, our strategies and recommendations can be equally useful in other contexts where inclusive education practices have not yet been adopted. Two appendices are included.

This report is drafted with state leaders and policy makers in mind, including those who work with or support these education leaders. The information shared in this report will likely be most relevant to states that have either not yet considered a new data system on teacher preparation providers, are only now starting to consider the idea, or are currently embarking on plans to design and implement such a system. This report offers two primary functions to readers. First, it illustrates the benefits of teacher preparation data systems as they have been experienced by states who have them or are building them. It makes the case for this work through "real-life" examples. Second, it offers best practices to help states in moving forward on planning and implementing such systems, drawn from the direct experiences of the featured states. Featured states in this report include: Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Louisiana. Each best practice is accompanied by at least one example of how a featured state chose to implement it. Readers should use the best practices offered in this report as a set of guideposts that every state that has done this work believes are critical elements of the process. States should execute each guidepost in the way that is most effective for their own needs. The various examples illustrate how a state could choose to execute the best practice while making clear that states take different approaches to the same practice.

Having a disability can be one of the most marginalizing factors in a child's life. In education, finding ways to meet the learning needs of children with disabilities can be challenging, especially in schools, districts, regions, and countries with severely limited resources. Inclusive education--which fully engages all children in quality education, including children with various types of disabilities or other learning challenges--has proven particularly effective in helping all children learn, including those with disabilities. This guide provides strategies and recommendations for developing inclusive classrooms and schools. We specifically address the needs of Sub-Saharan African countries, which lack the resources for implementing inclusive education. However, our strategies and recommendations can be equally useful in other contexts where inclusive education practices have not yet been adopted.

European policy-making in vocational education and training (VET) needs to be supported by sound evidence. In this report, Cedefop has selected 36 indicators to quantify key aspects of VET and lifelong learning. The selection is based on their policy relevance and their importance in achieving the Europe 2020 objectives. The report accounts for challenges and opportunities arising from recent developments in the international statistical infrastructure and includes updated comparable data from the European statistical system. This publication should be regarded as a tool to help policy-makers better understand and assess VET developments in each country. While these indicators do not claim to assess national systems or policies, they could be used to reflect on countries' situations and progress towards the strategic objectives set for Europe. The indicators present statistical overviews from all European Union Member States, along with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Contains an annex with a short description of indicators. [The HIVA Education and Lifelong Learning Research Group and the Centre for Educational Effectiveness and Evaluation, both at KU Leuven, carried out the underlying methodological and statistical work and updated the report.]

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.

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2015 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants to the University of Michigan. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit psychoactive drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2015 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2015: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" (ED578539) and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2015: Volume I, Secondary School Students" (ED578604). The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) Gender; (2) College plans; (3) Region of the country; (4) Population density; (5) Education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) Racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section starting on page 367 of this paper. The graphs and tables in this occasional paper present trend data for 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade respondents separately. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels.

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of, and trends in, the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8 and 15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are discussed in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of community size. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2015. Volume 2, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578731.]

In 2017, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and Root Solutions, with funding from the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, created the "Turning the Page on Campus Paper Use" initiative to assist higher education institutions in developing and implementing paper reduction behavior change projects. "Turning the Page: A Behavior Change Toolkit for Reducing Paper Use" draws upon real world experiences from the Turning the Page initiative as well as other paper reduction campaigns. The concepts, concrete examples, and tools in this guide will empower practitioners to more effectively target paper consumption behaviors at their institutions. Although this guide focuses on tackling paper reduction efforts at higher education institutions, the advice and examples provided can be applied by any organization looking to foster more sustainable behaviors. The hope is that this guide gives the reader the background, inspiration, and confidence to ideate and implement the kinds of evidence-based behavior campaigns that can result in transformational impact at their organization. [This report was produced by Root Solutions. Funding was provided by the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund.]

This occasional paper is the first in a series on the National Quality Framework (NQF). This paper offers detailed insights into education and care service quality ratings for Quality Area 1 -- Educational Program and Practice, which focuses on ensuring that educational program and practice is stimulating and engaging, enhances children's learning and development, and meets children's individual learning and development needs. Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has chosen to focus this first occasional paper on Quality Area 1 because of its vital contribution to child outcomes and because the evidence indicates that services are less likely to meet the National Quality Standard (NQS) in this Area. Additionally, the paper is timely given ACECQA's work in period 2014/15 with Regulatory Authorities and Professional Support Coordinators to deliver national workshops to educators to help them better understand and meet the requirements of Quality Area 1. The paper provides a brief overview of the NQS, its rating system, quality areas and overall ratings to date. It then examines Quality Area 1 looking at differences across jurisdictions, management types, service sub-types, and socioeconomic and remoteness classifications. The paper culminates by examining patterns in the distribution of Quality Area 1 ratings and discusses possible explanations for these variations, as well as implications of the report findings and future directions. The paper is intended to be of interest to people who deliver education and care services, people who provide training and professional development services to the sector, and to officers in the Regulatory Authorities that conduct quality rating. Unless otherwise stated, the paper draws on data from the National Quality Agenda Information Technology System (NQA ITS) as at 31 December 2015.

This paper evaluates a youth internship program in the Republic of Yemen that provided firms with a 50 percent subsidy to hire recent graduates of universities and vocational schools. The first round of the program took place in 2014 and required both firms and youth to apply for the program. The paper examines the demand for such a program, and finds that in the context of an economy facing substantial political and economic uncertainty, it appears there is an oversupply of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and a relative undersupply of graduates in marketing and business. Conditional on the types of graduates firms were looking to hire as interns, applicants were then randomly chosen for the program. Receiving an internship resulted in an almost doubling of work experience in 2014, and a 73 percent increase in income during this period compared with the control group. A short-term follow-up survey conducted just as civil conflict was breaking out shows that internship recipients had better employment outcomes than the control group in the first five months after the program ended. Appended are: (1) Timeline; and (2) Pooled Estimates.

Facilitating student transfer from two-year to four-year institutions has been a focus of research and policy in recent years. Much less attention has been given to the phenomenon of four-year to two-year (4-2) college transfer. About 16 percent of students who begin in a four-year college transfer to a two-year college within six years. Using public higher education data from one small state and using distance to the closest two-year college as an instrumental variable, this paper examines the effects of 4-2 transfer on "struggling" students, those who earned less than a 3.0 grade point average in the first term. Results indicate that these 4-2 transfer students are more likely than similar non-transfer students to attain two-year college credentials (including associate degrees and long- and short-term certificates); the gain is concentrated in women who tend to enroll in health-related programs. What is more, struggling students who transfer to two-year colleges are no less likely than struggling non-transfer students to earn a bachelor's degree. Early employment outcomes also indicate that the labor market does not penalize 4-2 transfer behavior. Falsification tests show strong first stage results and no correlation between distance and socioeconomic indicators, which supports the use of distance as an instrumental variable for 4-2 transfer status. The findings indicate that 4-2 transfer can improve college completion for students struggling in four-year institutions.

Using detailed administrative data from Virginia, this paper examines how and why the community college pathway to a baccalaureate influences students' degree attainment and short-term labor market performance. We find that the community college pathway sharply reduces the likelihood of earning a bachelor's degree but does not have a significant impact on students' short-term labor market performance. We examine various mechanisms that may stand in the way of students' baccalaureate completion: the impacts of two-year attendance on early academic progress, the logistical challenges inherent in selecting and enrolling in a four-year transfer destination, the loss of credits at the point of transfer, and post-transfer academic "shock." Our results suggest that the primary culprit is that many otherwise successful community college students never enter a four-year transfer destination. Among students who do transfer, their probability of baccalaureate attainment and their short-term labor market performance are comparable to those of native four-year students. After taking into account the lower costs of community college attendance, our cost-benefit analysis finds that two-year entrants fare as well as or better than four-year entrants, at least in the short run (eight years after college entry).

The topic of more frequent and timely vocational education and training (VET) data has been an issue of interest for a number of years. Since 2015, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has collected and reported data on government-funded students and courses on a quarterly basis. These quarterly data submissions are cumulative and allow additional data to be reported and corrections made to previously submitted data. The first year of quarterly reporting has provided a useful insight into how training activity is reported by the different jurisdictions over a calendar year. This paper presents the results of some initial analysis of that data using the reporting scope that was in place for 2015 reporting, broadly defined as all activity delivered by government providers and government-funded activity delivered by community education and other registered providers.

The evolution of community colleges from their origins as junior colleges to institutions with dual missions to provide both academic and workforce preparation raises questions about the impact of a college's mission focus on its students' labor market success. We examine this question using data from the 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System. We find that students from community colleges that focus on career or workforce preparation had higher labor market earnings than did students from comprehensive community colleges or colleges with an academic focus; about one fifth of the variation in students' earnings across community colleges was due to the college's mission focus. A number of other community college variables enhanced students' earnings, such as larger institution size, serving a single county, and having low proportions of remedial students.

This occasional paper presents subgroup findings from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study on levels of and trends in the use of a number of substances for nationally representative samples of high school graduates ages 19-30. The data have been gathered in a series of follow-up surveys of representative subsamples of high school seniors who were first surveyed in 12th grade as part of the MTF study. Therefore, the universe being described omits people who did not complete high school--between 8-15% of each age group, with the most recent class cohorts closer to the bottom of that range. Surveys of the graduating cohorts of high school seniors started in 1976 and have continued with each graduating class since. Data were first available for the 19-22 age group in 1980 and for the older age groups in subsequent years, as the tables and figures in this occasional paper indicate. The general epidemiological findings from these samples are contained in "Volume II" of the annual monograph series. The subgroup trends shown in the current occasional paper complement the last section of Chapter 5 (Trends in Drug Use in Early and Middle Adulthood) of that monograph by presenting the trend data for young adult subgroups in both graphic and tabular form. The results are described and discussed in Chapter 5, but the extensive set of tables and figures is provided here for the reader who wishes to view the figures and the underlying numerical values. Three demographic dimensions are differentiated: gender, region of the country, and population density. Gender includes trends for males and females; region describes trends for each of the four major regions defined by the U.S. Census; and population density differentiates trends for five levels of urbanicity. The Table of Contents and List of Figures in this occasional paper contain clickable links to the content and figures. Following each figure is a table giving the numerical values associated with each trend line in that figure. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014. Volume 2, College Students & Adults Ages 19-55," see ED578455.]

This occasional paper presents national demographic subgroup data for the 1975-2014 Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. MTF is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health under a series of investigator-initiated, competitive research grants. The study covers all major classes of illicit and licit drugs for an array of population subgroups. The 2014 subgroup data presented here accompany the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975-2014: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use" and the "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014: Volume I, Secondary School Students." Since 2013, the MTF subgroup definitions and data have been presented in a series of occasional paper, such as this, as tables and figures to facilitate the examination and interpretation of trend data. "Volume I" contains a description of MTF's design and purposes, as well as extended reporting on substance use of all kinds--licit and illicit--and a number of related factors, such as attitudes and beliefs about drugs, age of initiation, noncontinuation of drug use, perceived availability, relevant conditions in the social environment, history of daily marijuana use, use of drugs for the treatment of ADHD, and sources of prescription drugs used outside of medical supervision. The trends offered here in tabular and graphic forms cover demographic subgroups based on: (1) gender; (2) college plans; (3) region of the country; (4) population density; (5) education level of the parents (a proxy for socioeconomic level); and (6) racial/ethnic identification. Detailed descriptions of the demographic categories are provided in the section below. Data for 12th grade begins with 1975, the first year in which a nationally representative sample of high school seniors was surveyed. Data for 8th and 10th grades begin with 1991, when the study's nationally representative annual surveys were expanded to include those grade levels. [For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014. Volume 1, Secondary School Students," see ED578369. For "Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2014: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use," see ED578603.]

The "Minnesota K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Minnesota registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and differences of voter opinion, as well as the intensity of those responses. Where do Minnesotans stand on important issues and policy proposals in K-12 education? A randomly selected and statistically representative sample of Minnesota voters responded to more than 20 substantive questions and items, as well as seven demographic questions. This project also included three split-sample experiments. A split-sample design is a systematic way of comparing the effects of two or more alternative wordings for a given question. The purpose of the experiment was to see if providing a new piece of information about education can significantly influence opinion on salient issues in state politics and education policy discussions. This polling paper has four sections: (1) a summary of key findings; (2) "Survey Snapshots," which offers charts highlighting the core findings of the project; (3) the survey's methodology, which summarizes response statistics, and presents additional technical information on call dispositions for landline and cell phone interviews; and (4) the survey questions and results ("topline numbers"), allowing the reader to follow the interview as it was conducted, with respect to question wording and ordering.