Considering the heritage Americans been given, they have both the resources and the responsibility to meet the challenges faced as the United States struggles to regain--or sustain--its world leadership in postsecondary education. The growing importance of education has led to a lot of public attention and churning, almost chaotic policy…

Timely and credible data on student learning has become a global issue in the ongoing effort to improve educational outcomes. With the potential to serve as a powerful diagnostic tool to gauge the overall health and well-being of an educational system, educational assessments have received increasing attention among specialists and the media.…

The National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments are designed to assess literacy and numeracy of all Australian school children in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and to act as diagnostics as to whether children are meeting intended educational outcomes. Tests began in May 2008, and have been run annually since then. Results of the…

It is the process of regular exercise that promotes fitness. Concentrating too much on the product by overuse of fitness norms and comparisons between children may mask the real issue and can result in negative experiences for the children most in need of improvement. Key related issues are also raised. (MT)

Believing that educational reforms are overdue, the author proposes three radical solutions: only validated instructional programs should be implemented, results of systematic public assessments of pupil achievements in learning should be published annually, and teachers should periodically submit evidence of learning achievement in their classes.…

One of the outcomes of regular education reform in Australia has been the development of a national testing program for school students. This article examines the degree to which students with a disability participate in this testing, and the extent to which the testing of students with a disability may help to achieve the National Goals of…

This article discusses recent changes in formative and summative assessment in Scotland. The Examination system is being extended to cover all aspects of schooling for all pupils. There are extensive changes in the system, now called Scottish National Diploma, for those pursuing business, technical, or vocational courses. (LMO)

Curriculum reform in Scotland in the 1970s is described. The implications for testing and teaching are discussed. (GDC)

Education is experiencing a case of misplaced accountability, where an exclusive reliance on high stakes tests overlooks the more subtle judgments of teachers and professional educators and, because of its simplicity, passes as democratic. This article investigates the theoretical underpinnings of current accountability initiatives and draws upon…

The failure of schools to include English-language learners (ELL) in their testing programs or the low performance of this particular sub-group on state assessments are some of the major reasons why schools come to be labeled as not meeting adequate yearly progress requirements under "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). According to the…

The purpose of this research was to construct tests that could be used to support various decisions in the educational system in Tanzania. Emphasis was placed on decisions made at the end of primary education, and at the end of four years of secondary education. (Author/BW)

Discusses plans for a national testing program and its possible effects on social studies. Expresses concern that the proposed plans avoid the issues of how and by whom curricular content is to be developed and how diversity will be accommodated. Includes discussion of the purposes, fairness, and problems inherent in the American Achievement…

Thirteen evaluation methods are analyzed by orientation. Typically, clients want politically advantageous studies; evaluators prefer questions-oriented studies; audiences favor a values orientation. Evaluators must recognize the narrow scope of question-oriented studies and the perspectives of client and audience. (CP)

Four national educational reform initiatives (national goals for schools, core curriculum, national student examination system, and teacher certification processes) are examined and policy implications discussed. It is argued that, although these initiatives are progressing, they will not succeed without sustained commitment on the parts of the…

Although it is true that today's education needs improvement, schools today are not all bad. The opinions of the following five experts, whose views are worth hearing are introduced: (1) Thomas Hopkins; (2) Ralph Tyler; (3) E. F. Lindquist; (4) Walter Cook; and (5) Harold Benjamin. (SLD)