The Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) offers course-specific assessments that provide teachers with timely feedback on their students' strengths and weaknesses in mathematics, often returning feedback to teachers on individual students and the entire class within a week of testing. In this way, teachers can quickly act on what they…

This paper profiles California's test score trends through 2008-09. Between 2005 and 2009, the percentages of students reaching the proficient level on the state test and the basic level on NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) increased in grades 4 and 8 in both reading and math. Average annual gains were larger on the state test…

Background/Context: In response to state-level test-based accountability and the federal No Child Left Behind Act, school administrators increasingly view centralized curriculum and prescribed instructional strategies as the most direct means of increasing student performance. This movement toward standardization reduces teachers' autonomy and…

This handbook, intended for General Educational Development Test (GED) examiners, was designed to cover many of the issues and problems unique to the GED testing program in California. Six chapters are included: (1) testing center authorization and responsibilities; (2) testing center staff; (3) testing fees and materials; (4) test administration;…

This document provides an overview of the history and current uses of student testing in California and a brief summary of some of the issues on the debate over assessment. In recent years, student testing has increasingly become a high-stakes enterprise in California. Today, policymakers are looking anew at various forms of testing to measure how…

This document is designed to help the reader understand the district profiles of the California statewide testing program. These data assist the reader to compare a districts' performance with that of previous years and of other districts, especially those with similar characteristics. A brief description of the development and content of the…

The first year of implementation of the California Bilingual Education Act of 1976 is documented and evaluated. The legislation is designed to provide bilingual education for limited-English-speaking and non-English-speaking students. It is concluded that the restrictive nature of the bill caused major delays in the first year of implementation…

Asserts that assessment has become a leading national educational issue. Presents a chronology of events in California related to student assessment reform. Identifies the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) three key elements: (1) individual student scores; (2) performance testing; and (3) curriculum improvement. (CFR)

In 1974, the California legislature directed the California Postsecondary Education Commission to develop a plan for establishing independent postsecondary education counseling centers to serve California residents not enrolled in a college or high school. On the basis of interviews, a review of the literature, and site visits to existing…

Prepared to assist in developing and strengthening instructional programs for deaf children in California, the bulletin describes the physiology and process of normal hearing and causes, types, and incidence of deafness. The following areas are also considered: preparation of teachers of the deaf and severely hard of hearing; educational…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

The third administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short preface, the first…

The fourth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short index of previous…

The fifth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short index of previous…

The sixth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a preface and short index of previous volumes, the first section of the report contains a…