The quality of the teaching force in our public schools has received great attention as one of the approaches to improve student performance, as there exists ample evidence that teacher quality matters for student achievement (see McCaffrey et al., 2004 for a review on this literature). Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain (2005) find large differences…

Academic achievement in American high schools is increasingly defined in terms of quantifiable values. Despite being designed to produce favorable data, explicit standardized-test preparation has an insignificant impact on scores and is counterproductive to the cultivation of attributes necessary for success in higher education and effective civic…

We examine Illinois educational data from standardized exams and analyze primary factors affecting the achievement of public school students. We focus on the simplest possible models: representation of data through visualizations and regressions on single variables. Exam scores are shown to depend on school type, location, and poverty…

As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, many school districts have reduced instructional time for the arts in order to focus on reading and mathematics. Accordingly, fine arts programs across the nation have become subject to budget cuts or elimination in order to meet federal accountability measures. Hit especially hard are…

In-service teacher professional development has been used to improve teacher effectiveness. In Kentucky, the National Science Foundation funded a large professional development program called the Appalachian Math and Science Partnership (AMSP) to provide content-based professional development to teachers in rural schools. We show that students…

An algorithm for estimation of means and standard deviations or raw scores underlying table values of standard test scores is presented. An application of a computer program, operationalizing the suggested algorithm, is discussed within the framework of a comparison of estimated and known table values for sample Minnesota Multiphasic Personality…

The 50 colleges and universities attended by the most 1984 freshman National Merit Scholars are ranked, and the number of students receiving scholarships from institutional funds is reported for most of those institutions. (MSE)

Data used in a major review of the system for reporting scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are presented and discussed. The data demonstrated the value of the current score-reporting system and led to retention of the 15-point MCAT score scale in 1991. (Author/MSE)

Regardless of how many times people are told by the Educational Testing Service not to use the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) as a gross measure of school productivity, the test continues to be used for that purpose. This article shows how misleading SAT scores and per-student-expenditure correlations are used to justify spending less money on…

Using logarithmic and statistical data, this study analyzes teacher quality as a determinant of student performance on standardized tests. The most startling finding: a 1 percent increase in teacher competency, as measured by standardiazed test scores, is accompanied by a 5 percent decline in student failure rate on high school competency…

The determinants of Scholastic Aptitude Test scores are estimated for 1982 in a regression analysis correcting for the proportion of students taking the test. Schooling variables and statewide graduation standards proved insignificant. Demographic variables (family size and education levels) proved significant and help explain SAT score decline in…

State surveys investigated black-white SAT scoring gaps. The performance gap was very low in North Dakota and very high in the District of Columbia. It was lowest in states with few, if any, racially segregated inner city schools and highest in the District of Columbia, where many whites attend quality private schools while most blacks attend…

Black students on average score below white students on the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT). There is huge variation in this gap between states resulting from racial differences in the quality of education provided. Discusses problems in compiling state-by-state data; notes states where blacks have improved SAT scores; and examines…

The correspondence between Medical College Admission Test scores and undergraduate science grades is examined, and the role that medical college selectivity plays in moderating the relationship is explored. Data are from all applicants in the 1981-82 entering class for whom complete information was available. (MSE)

A "recentering" of Scholastic Assessment Test scores will boost average scores but will not change test item difficulty. The objective is to reduce confusion among students and parents about what is an average score, make math and verbal scores more comparable, and account for a different student population. Bar graphs compare…