Many states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which emphasize "deeper learning" skills, such as mastery of core academic content, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. But can the new tests being developed to align with the CCSS be used to promote deeper learning and high-quality classroom instruction?…

The Hewlett Foundation commissioned RAND to review research about the effects of assessment and to summarize what is known about assessment as a lever for reform. To explore the likely influence of new assessments on teaching practice and the conditions that moderate that relationship, researchers conducted a series of literature reviews. The…

Parents, educators, political leaders--all Americans need the information contained in this article. But why this poll? First, it's not just a quick snapshot of public perception. Rather, it is a serious research tool, conducted annually, that allows Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) members and other educators and policy makers to track public opinion from…

In spring 2009, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) continued its research on the impact of test-based federal and state accountability policies by conducting case studies of six high schools in six different districts within Washington State. The purpose was to learn more about the curricular and instructional changes that administrators and…

While numerous recent authors have studied the effects of school accountability systems on student test performance and school "gaming" of accountability incentives, there has been little attention paid to substantive changes in instructional policies and practices resulting from school accountability. The lack of research is primarily…

Examines the relationship between ability-grouping policies in British secondary schools and (1) pupils' reading and mathematics attainment at age 16 and (2) prospective public examinations entries. No significant relationship was found between ability-grouping policy and scores, but there was an indication that mixed-ability schools enter their…

This paper examines the educational impacts of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative (BWLI), a pilot program that provided 1:1 technology access to all students and teachers across five public and private middle schools in western Massachusetts. Using a pre/post comparative study design, the current study explores a wide range of program…

This bibliography, the fifth in the Urban Schools Bibliography series, provides urban school personnel, researchers, and policymakers with information on important issues, programs, and practices in urban education. Topics covered in the bibliography include equal education, school policy, school administration, curriculum, testing and evaluation,…

To increase educational productivity and efficiency, educational process goals as well as achievement goals must be considered. Educational process goals are interpreted to include student perceptions of the social environment, creativity, self-concept, participation in extra-curricular activities, and interest in subject matter. Ignoring these…

This packet includes reprints of journal articles and other information concerning student, program, and staff assessment in small, rural schools. The five sections of the packet cover an introduction to authentic assessment, classroom and subject area assessment, descriptions of assessment programs, assessment of school boards and staff members,…

In this article, the authors describe various rationales for accountability testing programs over the past century. This history forms the backdrop for current test-driven reforms, including Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which was signed into law in January 2002. The goals of the authors are first, to illustrate…

A survey was conducted among 1,022 school board members and administrators to determine nationwide school district testing practices. Of the districts represented at the 1976 convention of the National School Boards Association which were included in the sample, 75% reported the existence of district-wide testing programs. The various types of…