Each year the CASAS Summer Institute is held in San Diego, California, during the month of June. The Institute addresses key issues in developing and implementing accountability, assessment, and evaluation systems linked to content and performance standards of national and state programs. Highlights include the use of data across states to inform instruction, improve programs, and report outcomes to stakeholders and policymakers. The Institute offers professional development for program administrators and instructional staff. Also, each Summer Institute has a full strand of NEDP sessions that provide opportunities to learn about developments, and to collaborate with NEDP professionals from across the country.

NEDP strand presentations from the 2008 Summer Institute

Keynote address - Ken Kay: e-Luminate; Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Ken Kay has been a major voice in defining the potential and promoting the importance of information technology applications in critical areas such as education, health care, electronic commerce and government services. In addition to his role as CEO and co-founder of e-Luminate Group, Ken serves as president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.21stcenturyskills.org), an organization of both public and private sectors working with stakeholders to reach consensus on how 21st century skills should be incorporated into K-12 curriculum. As executive director for the CEO Forum on Education and Technology (www.ceoforum.org) from 1996 to 2001, Ken facilitated dialogue between leaders in the business, government and education fields and led the group through development of the StaR Chart (School Technology & Readiness Guide), used by schools across the country to make better use of technology in the classroom. From 1989-2003, Ken served as the founding executive director of the Computer Systems Policy Project (www.cspp.org). The group is the primary CEO advocacy group for IT policy in the United States. Ken is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Denver College of Law. He lived in Washington, DC, for 28 years, where he worked as a staffer in the House and Senate and represented the computer industry for 20 years as one of its leading lobbyists and coalition builders. He and his wife, Karen, have three adult children and live in the desert outside Tucson, Arizona with their golden retriever, Bisbee.

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Session C12 - NEDP: Using Data Results to Market the Program

Since CASAS assumed responsibility for the NEDP, a major goal has been to generate better quality information about NEDP programs, NEDP student characteristics and performance, as well as program completion outcomes. This session will review data analyses from recent studies and present summary information from yearly statistical reports. This workshop will also review results from a pilot study to determine if O*NET career assessments should replace the Occupational Profiles currently used. Information from this session could be used to market the NEDP program to a variety of stakeholders such as boards of education, legislators and policy makers, as well as the community. Presenter: Andrew Evans

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Session D12 - NEDP Competency Revalidation and New Task Development Effort

CASAS is pleased to present a list of seventy NEDP Competencies that reflect needed skills for the 21st century and more rigorous high school completion requirements. The revalidation process which included input from many sources and an expert Ad Hoc Committee will be discussed. The next stage of development is to create assessments and activities which are associated with these competencies. Participants will be part of an interactive presentation on the current status and plans for revising the NEDP tasks to reflect the same rigorous standards presented in the competencies. Presenters: Jim Harrison, Ardis Breslauer, Cheryl Parry

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Session E11 - Individualized Competency Choices for NEDP; there's more than the employer verification

Description: This session will explore the Individualized Competency Manual and review the options for demonstrating this part of the program. Presenter: Susan Pierson, Connecticut State Department of Education

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Session F11 - Overview of the National External Diploma Program

Description: The NEDP is an adult applied-performance, competency-based assessment program that awards a high school diploma to skilled adults who have acquired many of their high school level abilities through life experience. What type of student is ideally suited for the NEDP? Why should your program consider having an NEDP high school completion option? How can the NEDP benefit your program? This session provides an introduction to the program and suggests reasons for possible NEDP adoption. Presenters: Mary Fox and Jim Harrison

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