The progressive

The process of developing a state education indicators system using the model proposed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is described. The CCSSO model has three components-indicators of educational outcomes; indicators of school policies and practices; and indicators of contextual factors, or state cnaracteristics. The goal is to relate educational outcomes to state program policies and practices, accounting for factors outside the education system that affect what schools can accomplish. Two project ' are examined to demonstrate how comparative state indicators can be developed: (1) the design and implementation of the State Science/Math Indicators Project--an effort to develop indicators for monitoring and reporting on states ' progress in improving science and mathematics education; and (2) the National Assessment Planning Project--an effort by a consortium of 18 national organizations t