State testing programs regularly release previously administered test items to the public. We provide an open-source recipe for state, district, and school assessment coordinators to combine these items flexibly to produce scores linked to established state score scales. These would enable estimation of student score distributions and achievement…

State testing programs today are more extensive than ever, and their results are required to serve more purposes and high-stakes decisions than one might have imagined. Assessment results are used to hold schools, districts, and states accountable for student performance and to help guide a multitude of important decisions. This report describes…

Classroom teachers, specialists and school principals will find this "List of Assessment Resources for English as a Second Language (ESL)" useful for determining the level of instruction for new students, measuring student growth, communicating about student learning, and for applying for ESL funding and for special considerations on…

The Delaware Student Testing Program ties student achievement to the state's content standards that define the knowledge and skills Delaware students need to succeed beyond high school. This report explains the testing program to teachers and presents a guide to interpreting test results. Section 1 introduces the testing program, which tests…

This handbook contains information about the statewide testing programs in Georgia. These programs provide a comprehensive perspective on students' educational achievement from kindergarten through high school. This guide contains information on these statewide assessments: (1) the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program-Revised; (2) the…

This document contains materials directly related to the actual reading test of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), including the reading rubric, released passages, selected-response questions with answer keys, performance tasks, and scored samples of students' responses to the tasks. All of these items may be duplicated to…

This book takes readers through the often confusing landscape of standardized testing and explains what tests are and what they are not. The book discusses how to interpret test scores, different types of standardized tests, and specific standardized tests. This revised edition also contains discussions of the Third International Mathematics and…

Delaware students must meet world-class standards if they are to be competitive and successful in a global economy. To prepare our students for their future, schools must support rigorous standards and each of teachers must set high expectations. Students must also commit themselves to the achievement of excellence. Any system that hopes to…

As the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has expanded, growing to 26 tests in 8 grades by 2002, new administration procedures have been needed. As these test administration procedures evolved, they were communicated through different avenues. This document consolidates the procedures to facilitate better understanding and more consistent…

The Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) is New Jersey's test for fourth graders. It is designed to give the school information about how well students are achieving in the areas required by New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards. This guide offers parents, students, and teachers information about the ESPA. The parent…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA mathematics assessment. Following an overview of the PSSA, the second chapter focuses on the development and scoring of the mathematics assessment. Administering the assessment…

Beginning in 1999, all of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) had to be aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards. This handbook describes the PSSA reading assessment. It contains samples and instructions for developing assessment items for grades 5, 8, and 11. Although designed for teachers, the Handbook is meant to be a…

The North Carolina End-of-Course Testing Program was established to provide student, school, and school system information about achievement in high school courses. The 59,723 students who took the Algebra I End-of-Course Test in 1987-88 were a subgroup of the school population in the eighth through twelfth grades. The proportion of students…

The North Carolina End-of-Course Testing Program was established to provide student, school, and school system information about achievement in high school courses. It appears that more than 40 percent of a class of students and approximately 60 percent of Algebra I students take Algebra II. Each Algebra II student took a test containing one of…

This annual report combines the November, January, April, June, and August provincial results in diploma examination courses in the Alberta (Canada) schools. The graphs, tables, and text describe student performance for the entire school year. The report is designed to assist school personnel in identifying patterns of students' achievement in the…