The Texas Education Code required the commissioner of education to conduct a study to determine the need to expand the assessment system to include the assessment in grades 7 and 8 of limited English proficient (LEP) students whose primary language is Spanish and other students of limited English proficiency. This report presents the research…

This study explored questions about whether there is a positive or negative relationship between student computer use and achievement, and whether the result vary by the amount of school or home computer use. Findings from the Idaho Statewide Testing Program for 31,000 students from more than 300 schools show that in general there is an inverse…

Results from a national survey of teachers are reported for five types of state testing programs, those with: (1) high stakes for districts, schools, or teachers, and students; (2) high stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and moderate stakes for students; (3) high stakes for districts, schools, and teachers, and low stakes for students;…

The effect of grade span configuration (grouping of grades in schools) and school-to-school transition on student achievement was investigated. The Michigan Education Assessment Program test was used to collect data on the passing rate of students in 232 schools in a large urban inner city school district in the midwest. The results indicate that…

Family background data and California Psychological Inventory (CPI) protocols were obtained from 1643 Greek students from 19 schools in the City of Athens. The CPI measures showed sufficient predictive validity in this cross-cultural application to warrant further research at higher educational levels, and in special subgroups such as the…

Reports results of a 1979 national survey of test usage in grades 7-12. Results indicated schools continued to give tests and desired to do more testing, at least for career guidance, if funds were available. Found the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery was the most popular career guidance test. (Author/JAC)

Describes interpretation technique for providing detailed feedback to students about their performance on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Students summarize their own performance on each major skill. The practical aspects of understanding the full use of routinely collected data make the approach desirable. (Author)

A survey of 909 seventh-graders and their parents about their participation in a regional talent search, preparation, and feelings while taking the test, found students participated primarily to gain experience taking the test and to learn about their abilities. Students and parents reported taking the test was a positive experience. (Contains…

Reports on a survey of community college faculty chairs and administrators to identify institutional initiatives to enhance student performance on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), assess faculty acceptance of and support for the CLAST mandate, and determine uses of aggregate CLAST scores in formative and summative evaluations. (DMM)

Describes the impact of North Carolina's testing program in chemistry on curriculum and instruction from teachers' perspectives. A random sample of 100 teachers received a questionnaire yielding a usable sample of 48, of which 8 were interviewed. Results suggest testing is making the chemistry curriculum more uniform across the state. It is not…

Gender differences in answers to constructed-response reading items from a state assessment program were studied with four raters rating approximately 500 papers at two grade levels. Results indicate that number of words written and number of unrelated responses show significant gender differences and are related to holistic scores. (SLD)

Created a developmental scale for the North Carolina End-of-Grade Mathematics Tests using a subset of identical test forms administered to adjacent grade levels with Thurstone scaling and Item Response Theory methods. Discusses differences in patterns produced. (Author/SLD)

Describes the resistance of a nontraditional public high school, the Durant School, to the global changes that would destroy its local ecology. In this school, the partially successful fight against the imposition of state standards and mandated tests has been a fight to preserve the school's integrity, mission, and autonomy. (SLD)

Examined the effects of a tri-schedule (traditional, 4x4 block, and hybrid) schedules running at the same time on the academic achievement of 327 high school students. Discusses implications of findings for schools considering block scheduling. (SLD)

The primary objective of this study was to examine the construct validity for the 2 multiple-content testing programs-the multiple-choice Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/5) together with the performance-based Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP)-by evaluating the true-score longitudinal associations among…