Over the past several years, student growth and growth models have received a lot of attention, in both the charter school sector and the larger education community, as an important indicator for measuring school quality. Educators and policy makers alike have been won over by the argument that because measures of student growth examine the…

This booklet provides parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers with information about achievement testing which is relevant to their needs. The first section presents an overview of the current market for standardized achievement tests and provides key definitions, distinctions between ability and achievement testing, comparisons of…

Designed to help school administrators and board members promote instructional excellence, this publication reports survey results involving over 35 school districts in Northern California, Utah, and Nevada engaged in instructional improvement efforts. Specifically, the report describes alternative strategies used to organize and manage three…