Examines proposals to establish national test/testing system as administrative, policy mechanism to foster good teaching and learning, monitor student progress, help in college admission and employment decisions, and monitor progress toward national goals. Notes that history of testing as administrative mechanism suggests that linking of important…

Examines history of Title I--Better Schooling for Educationally Deprived Children--program since its inception in 1965. Notes difficulties encountered by Title I in developing accountability models. Relates history to testing companies' reactions to federal policy. Discusses the history of assessment programs, what types of tests are used, and the…

This case study traces the evolution of curriculum-related educational reforms in California, concentrating on those that have influenced mathematics and science. These reform efforts are examined in the framework of the state's political and policy context. Data came from interviews, a synthesis of the research literature, and newspaper accounts…

This report provides historical background on the origins, development and procedures, of Educational Testing Service's (ETS's) Board of Review. Established in 1969, the Board of Review makes final decisions for all test scores of questionable validity. ETS cancels or withholds scores believed to be invalid. Reasons for invalid scores range from…

Reviews the origin, practice, and effects of the "payment by results" law in late nineteenth-century England, in which elementary education was funded on the basis of students' examination results. Argues that such a system of educational accountability severely hampered development of English and Welsh elementary education. (PAA)

When the nation of Pakistan was first created, school entrance and civil service examinations were administered in a foreign language--English. A major concern is that enrollment in primary education only increased from 17 percent in 1947 to 48 percent in 1983, with stil a very high dropout rate. National and province-wide boards of education were…

Since 1960 most of the countries in middle Africa have gained their independence and are confronting the great problems of nation building and economic development. The entire region shows both a popular enthusiasm for education and a conviction among leaders that education is a key to economic and social development. This bulletin has been…