Local implementation of the state of Illinois' Goal Assessment Program in language arts

Includes bibliographical references (pages [67]-69)The purpose of this study was to examine the approach used in Bureau County to meet the state guidelines in implementing the Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP). As a policy and implementation study of the state mandate at the local level, the philosophies and strategies of the Bureau County Learning Assessment Cooperative (BCLAC) to achieve acceptance of the state policy were reviewed and examined. A particular focus of the study was that portion of the work of the BCLAC in language arts that established the writing (composition) assessment. This study may be useful to other local school districts in establishing joint school efforts to implement IGAP. Bureau County school administrators responded to the Illinois Goal Assessment Program by establishing the Bureau County Learning Assessment Cooperative. Committees of teachers from some of the twenty-two districts in the county formulated sample learning objectives and created assessments for the content areas specified by the Illinois State Board of Education. Primary sources were used in the course of this study. Personal interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators involved in the process. Bureau County publications were studied as were Illinois State Board of Education documents. Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles were utilized. The descriptive study is expressed in narrative form. This policy and implementation study examined the state mandate and the local efforts to comply. An implication of this analysis was a discovery of the vision of the policy intention by a representative core of teachers, specifically the Bureau County language arts/English teachers. The success of the cooperative effort was confirmed by the approval rating of the Quality Review teams in visiting county schools. The expenditure of teacher time and education funds, however, lead the list of complaints. Recommendations are included.M.S. Ed. (Master of Education