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The Local Child Outcomes Measurement System (L-COMS) is a framework developed by ECTA and DaSy that identifies 7 key components of a high-quality child outcomes measurement system at the local level. The following resources were developed for local Part C and Part B 619/Preschool programs to evaluate their systems and to encourage and support efforts to improve those systems. "Local program," as used throughout these documents, refers to a local/regional early intervention services program or a local educational agency or school district. (1) Local Child Outcomes Measurement System (L-COMS) -- describes the framework's 7 components, 13 quality indicators and their associated elements of quality; (2) L-COMS Self-Assessment -- an Excel-based tool that provides a structure for local programs to record the current status of their child outcomes measurement system on the 13 quality indicators and associated elements, and to set priorities for improvement; and (3) L-COMS Guide -- contains general guidance for using the self-assessment tool. The L-COMS was designed to apply to all local programs regardless of their specific child outcomes measurement approach.

The Local Child Outcomes Measurement System (L-COMS) is a framework that identifies seven key components of a high-quality child outcomes measurement system at the local level. The L-COMS framework was designed to apply to all local programs regardless of their specific child outcomes measurement approach. Development of the L-COMS originated with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center/Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (ECTA/DaSy) technical assistance cohort on child outcomes data quality. Several states were interested in a product that would help support the improvement of child outcomes measurement systems at the local level. It was derived from the Child Outcomes Measurement System (COMS), a similar framework developed by the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center in 2011 for state use. ECTA and DaSy staff developed a draft of the L-COMS, using the COMS to identify comparable quality indicators and elements that could be used as is or revised to make applicable to the local level. Staff from several states then reviewed and piloted it at the local level and provided input.

The National Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development Policy, established by Congress to provide broad, long-range policy perspectives, examined rural development policy issues and made many field visits to observe rural conditions and rural development projects. The Commission recognized the diversity of rural communities and identified causes of rural economic change to be: (1) the decline of traditional resources-based industries;; (2) international competition; (3) changes in technology and the job market; and (4) the phuysical distance and social isolation of rural communities. The following principles are suggested to guide rural development: (1) rural areas and people must be economically self-reliant; (2) rural areas and people must be able to adapt rapidly and effectively to changing market conditions; and (3) the rural physical and cultural environment--valuable elements of national life--should be protected. To achieve these goals, the federal government should undertake to: (1) review all of its policies to determine their effects on rural areas; (2) improve the availability of information about rural conditions and development strategies; (3) adopt a comprehensive and strategic approach to rural development; (4) foster better cooperation among rural development participants; (5) incorporate flexibility in its policies to accommodate the diversity of rural America; (6) promote innovation and experimentation in the pursuit of rural development; and (7) make education a major component of rural development policies. Improved rural education is necessary to attract high-wage high-skilled industries and to foster entrepreneurship and small-business growth, but rural schools are hampered by lack of funds and higher costs per student. (SV)

An analysis of the evaluation instruments of clinical clerkships from 54 medical schools was made. Instruments were classified as to purpose, format, and skills measured. Thirty-nine schools used a modified Likert format; a few schools also had a check list of adjectives or short answer questions. Nearly all instruments had some space for general comments. The most frequently evaluated concepts and skills were "knowledge,""getting along well with others,""hard worker,""ability,""dignity,""history-taking," and "performance." Several principles of the design of evaluation instruments were discussed. One of these was that the instrument should be part of an evaluation system, and should evaluate the specific tasks and objectives that have been identified in the first stages of the learning system. Other principles were that the instrument should be similar to the clinical skill, it should be derived from a content sampling map, it should not be used for two purposes that have conflicting goals, and it should be reliable and valid. Several suggestions were made to increase the reliability of clinical evaluation instruments. The use of comments as a replacement for the measurement of specific objectives and content sampling was discouraged. (Author/BJG)

Substate regional organizations (defined as those public bodies that provide planning, economic development, and service coordination for local governments) are discussed, and the major issues pertaining to substate regionalism are explored in this overview. The background and setting of the substate regional movement is traced, from its inception in 1954 when federal aid for regional planning began, through present federal programs in the fields of economic development, employment, health, law enforcement, and transportation. The role of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one of the federal agencies supporting multicounty substate regional activities, is described, and its leadership in promoting regional solutions to problems of rural development and natural resources conservation is acknowledged. Differences in problems and functional focuses of regional councils in nonmetropolitan areas (from those in urban regions) are discussed. Thirty-nine federal programs which supported substate regional activities during 1977-1979 are described, including both the "generalist", multipurpose areawide units and the multicounty single-purpose areawide units. Selection criteria, program identification, and program characteristics are reviewed. (JD)

Reviews research on ability testing for adults with visual impairments, especially the tests used for vocational assessment and counseling. The verbal scales of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised were found to be widely accepted. The problems, however, with relying solely on verbal assessment are addressed, and the need for tests for assessing intellectual functioning is discussed. (Author/CR)

The rural economy has performed badly during the 1980s. While the recession of the early 1980s was responsible for much of the trouble, the slow rural recovery demonstrates the fundamental hurdles facing the rural economy. Central among these are economic disadvantages, including remote locations isolating rural producers from their markets, low population densities that inhibit innovation and efficient production, and a rural population that is ill-prepared for better jobs that could pay higher incomes. Rural residents should not count on major shifts in the economy that would produce a windfall solution to their current economic problems. Instead, the most promising solutions require community-wide actions to adapt to change and to exploit the creative opportunities for economic growth that arise during times of economic change. Low educational attainment in one rural population and the relative lack of organization and leadership in rural communities inhibit effective community action. By taking a broader view of their responsibilities within rural communities, schools can help rural residents create better futures for themselves. This paper presents a clearer definition of rural areas and discusses the misunderstandings about rural America and what its problems are. Strategies that put local communities in charge of their own development are discussed with an emphasis on innovation and education. An Appendix supplies information specifically for Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Author/ALL)

The analysis of previously obtained data concerning short-term visual memory and cognition by a method suggested by Tucker is proposed. Although interesting individual differences undoubtedly exist in people's ability and capacity to process short-term visual information, studies have not generally examined these differences. In fact, conventional analyses have used group means which destroy the investigation of individual differences. Previous research by the authors indicates substantial and reliable changes in the abilities a group of subjects uses to process information as the stimulus itself subtly changes. These changes that an individual manifests have, however, been obscured until now. The proposed method by Tucker simultaneously analyzes the differences among subjects and describes the complexity of the stimulus. Thus the behavior of a single individual to a visual stimulus can be summarized and analyzed in light of other abilities he may possess. Tucker's method can estimate practice and fatigue effects on a task. Finally, the experience gained herein with the Tucker method should prove useful, in that it could be an alternative way of analyzing individual differences other than the regression approach. (Author)