Description: The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the Center for Workforce Development, Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) partnered to analyze current perspectives on high school reform which address high school students who face the challenges of today’s global, knowledge-based economy in the face of increasing emphasis on increased academic performance at the expense of industry-valued skills such as communication, teamwork, analytical, and interpersonal skills. This study focused on discussion organized by the AYPF and the IEL in two roundtable meetings which addressed aspects of high school reform critical to helping students develop the range of skills necessary to be successful through the following two topics:

1. Supporting High School Students Through Assessment of Academic and Industry-Valued Skills which addressed four assessment related questions
1. The impact of high stakes testing on career and technical education programs and the students they serve;
2. The success of using additional assessments beyond academic-focused tests;
3. How career-related and other employability skills can be incorporated into states’ academic standards and assessments; and
4. How assessments can help support and improve contextual teaching and learning.
2. Contextual Teaching and Learning Strategies in High Schools: Developing a Vision for Support and Evaluation which focused on one possible approach to strengthening instructional practice – contextual teaching and learning.
1. What is “contextual teaching and learning”?
2. What are the roots of contextual teaching and learning?
3. How has contextual teaching and learning evolved?

Other major issues raised included what skills should be measured, how they should be measured, and the impact of using new forms of assessments and contextual teaching and learning on students.

Description: In this report, the National High School Center, in partnership with the American Institutes for Research explore the prospect of implementing a tiered approach to intervention for struggling learners in a high school setting.  Response to Intervention (RtI) is defined and offered as a multi-tiered approach to offer individualized instruction to struggling learners in a general education setting.  The report offers two approaches with an example of how one high school is implementing it in its classrooms.  Issues are identified, the research is addressed and resources are provided.