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Best practice

The processes, practices, or systems identified in public and private organizations that performed exceptionally well and are widely recognized as improving an organization's performance and efficiency in specific areas.

• Facilities Information Management. A Guide for State and Local Education Agencies
  This publication is a guide to designing and maintaining an information system about the condition, design, use, management, and financing of elementary/secondary education facilities. It includes commonly used measures, data elements, and a list of additional resources for the practitioner.
• Planning Guide for Maintaining School Facilities
  This Guide was prepared by members of the National Forum on Education Statistics to help school facilities managers plan for efficient and effective operations. It provides practical advice on a range of topics, including how to do a facilities audit to know what you have, planning for maintenance that will ensure smooth operations and avoid costly surprises, managing staff and contractors, and evaluating maintenance efforts.
• Safety in Numbers: Collecting and Using Crime, Violence, and Discipline Incident Data to Make a Difference in Schools
  This handbook is designed to be used by school, district, and state staff to improve the effectiveness of their efforts to collect and use disciplinary incident data. It provides recommendations on what types of data to collect, why it is critical to collect such data, and how the data can be used effectively to improve school safety and answer policy questions relating to school improvement and the safety of our students. This is a National Forum on Education Statistics publication and contains no data.
• Comprehensive Approach to Teacher Quality
  This brief addresses four areas of opportunity to influence teacher quality. These areas of opportunity are used to create a framework to help state and district policymakers comprehensively address teacher quality.
• Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems: 2003 Edition
  This NCES handbook has been designed as the national standard for state departments of education to use in reporting financial data and for school districts to use in preparing their comprehensive annual financial reports (CAFRs) that are submitted to their respective state departments of education. The purpose of the handbook is to ensure that education fiscal data can be reported in a comprehensive manner. The 2003 Edition contains guidance conforming to Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statements, up to Statement 39. There are chapters on budgeting, governmental accounting and financial reporting. Account codes have been updated to reflect changes in the new reporting requirements and developments in technology and security. There are also special chapters on accounting student activity funds and a model for school level program cost accounting.
• NCES Nonfiscal Data Handbook for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
  The NCES Nonfiscal Data Handbook was developed to provide guidance concerning the consistent maintenance of student, staff, and education institution information. This handbook defines data elements and definitions describing students, staff, schools, LEAs, IEUs, and SEAs in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. This handbook contains no data.
• NETS*T Prototype Digital Transcript
  This picture demonstrates the proposed structure of a digital transcript maintaing summary data and links from multiple assessment platforms at the 4 stages of a teachers life benchmarked in NETS*T.
• The MA 12 to 62 Plan for Teacher Quality
  In 1998 the new MA Commissioner stood on the state house stairs in front of the Governor, Senate President and Speaker to announce a $100 million endowment and comprhensive plan to improve teacher quality. From 12 year olds getting involved with Future Teachers Clubs to 62 year olds teaching part time, the plan sought to address all aspects of a teacher's career.
• VES RFP
  The MA Virtual Education Space design team developed this RFP released in April 2000 calling for a statewide open enterprise e-learning portal.
• VES White Papers
  These three white papers written in 1999 launched the open enterprise portal movement in Massachusetts.
• Why States Need to Give High Quality Tests
  As states scramble to expand testing to satisfy the No Child Left Behind Act and to confront historic budget shortfalls, Achieve, Inc., and the National Center for Educational Accountability are urging them not to forego high-quality tests in the name of speed or affordability.