This review critiques the highly-praised and influential 2001 study, "Getting Tough? The Impact of High School Graduation Exams," which concluded that "minimum competency," or high school "graduation exams," had no effect on student achievement. The review compares the test classifications of "Getting…

The effect of a basic competency education program on the achievement of high, average, and low-achieving students was examined for the Alabama Basic Competency Education program (BCE). California Achievement Tests scores in reading, mathematics, and language were examined for 3 years prior to initiation of the BCE program and for 3 years…

A recent California Supreme Court ruling required San Diego Unified School District to implement a course of study in its minority isolated schools that would result in 50 percent of the students achieving at or above national norms on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. In response to the court order, the district initiated the Achievement…

The quality and equality of American education are reexamined and the misuse of tests and the public's perception of them are discussed. It is suggested that new research efforts in testing must be supported. Congressional chartering of the National Academy of Education is proposed. (Author/MLW)

New Mexico has established a system of student achievement assessment that consists of four coordinated testing programs. District and state results are given for these assessments. The Reading Assessment, consisting of a norm-referenced test and a criterion-referenced test, is used in grades 1 and 2 to assess student mastery of essential…

Focusing on formal testing programs involving academic achievement, the assessment of student performance in 28 large city school districts is described. In addition to presenting how districts have designed testing programs to meet the variety in the students they serve, this report also discussed test management, work with test publishers, test…

High stakes testing has been in place in North Carolina since the late 1970s with highly visible, nationally norm-referenced tests administered to all students in several grades, as well as minimum competency testing as part of high school graduation requirements. A current back-to-basics movement has resulted in cuts to the testing program. A new…

This report describes and presents the 1984-85 results of the norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing programs used in the Los Angeles Unified School District (California) to evaluate student progress and to identify instructional areas needing remediation. The norm-referenced Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS), Form U, is used to…

In response to eight questions concerning educational achievement, the National Academy of Education's Committee on Testing and Basic Skills cited four changes in school practices which have caused declines in writing skills and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. Those changes are a proliferation in courses with less rigorous intellectual standards;…

This report provides a statistical summary for data included in the October 1987 Comprehensive Assessment Reports and of the results of the spring 1987 administration of the Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) tests for New York State. The data for the 1986-87 school year in this report will enable school administrators to compare test results for…

American education is not as inadequate as public opinion indicates. The literacy and skill of American youth are higher today than forty years ago because of our high achievement standards and commitment to equal educational opportunity. These opposing principles have been reconciled by the diversity encouraged in institutions, teachers, and…