New England Compact
Reaching Students in the Gaps Summary
Testing Accommodations Summary
In 2002, the Commissioners of Education in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont formed The New England Compact to provide a forum for states to address issues arising from the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. The Compact is convened and facilitated by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton, Massachusetts.
The New England Compact focuses on the development and implementation of grade level expectations (GLEs), and state assessments based on those expectations. The Compact helps states explore strategies, share knowledge, and establish cross-state activities whose economies of scale and cost-efficiency benefit each state by allowing them to leverage their resources. The Compact has received two Enhanced Assessment Instrument Grants from the US Department of Education; the results of the projects are described on this site.
Reaching students in the gaps: A study of assessment gaps, students, and alternatives
TMAS: Reaching Students in the Gaps, is a US Department of Education funded project (2005-2007) that seeks to increase knowledge and understanding of gaps in state large scale assessment systems through research studies in four New England states. The goals of the TMAS include:
- defining common criteria for identifying students in the gap;
- planning and developing task module assessment strategies;
- recommending core components of an assessment structure that would lessen the gaps;
- and disseminating products to others considering assessments for students in the gap.