project reports

Pennsylvania Adequacy Funding Study

The purpose of the Pennsylvania Adequacy Funding Study study is to help determine the amount of funding necessary to enable all students to meet academic standards in Pennsylvania. This project is one component of a larger adequacy funding study conducted by Augenblick, Palaich & Associates. August 2007

Oregon Pre-Engineering Learning Outcome Study

Oregon postsecondary institutions offer a variety of opportunities to students seeking programs in engineering. However, what is expected of students in the first two years of engineering studies is not explicit, and varies by institution. This is due in part to the fact that community colleges and OUS institutions have not identified a common engineering curriculum in terms of educational learning outcomes expected during those first years of study. This report undertook a standards development process designed to yield the first set of explicit pre-engineering learning outcomes that could then be used to align high school and postsecondary, entry-level engineering courses. The process led to the development of learning outcomes for content knowledge, key cognitive strategies, and teaching practices that reflect the content and intellectual goals of pre-engineering education. August 2007

Washington Adequacy Funding Study

The constitution of the state of Washington declares, "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders." This establishes education, and education funding, as the highest priorities to the state. The goal of this study was to determine the level of educational expenditure necessary to make ample provision for the education of all students, providing all students with the skills to meet long-term academic standards, pursue additional learning beyond high school, and become productive citizens and contributing members of society. January 2007

Study of Alternative Methods to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning

The Washington State Legislature passed a bill in 2004 requiring the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to develop a system of alternative assessment comparable in content and rigor to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Beginning in 2008, the first cohort of students in Washington will be required to meet standards in mathematics, reading, and writing on the high school WASL in order to receive a Certificate of Academic Achievement (CAA), leading to a diploma. This project addresses the need to develop a means of assessing students who have the requisite knowledge and skills, but cannot meet the standards of the WASL. September 2006