Test developers are responsible to define how test scores should be interpreted and used. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) directed the Secretary of Education to use results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to confirm the proficiency scores from state developed tests. There are two sets of federal definitions…

As more colleges move to "test optional" admissions policies, the debate over the utility and interpretation of standardized-test scores continues. In this article, the author interviews Daniel Koretz, a professor of education at Harvard University and author of "Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us". Koretz…

This book takes readers through the often confusing landscape of standardized testing and explains what tests are and what they are not. The book discusses how to interpret test scores, different types of standardized tests, and specific standardized tests. This revised edition also contains discussions of the Third International Mathematics and…

This guide explains results and other information contained in the "Test Item Analysis Report," the "School Report," and the "District Report" for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests for spring 1999. It is designed to help teachers, administrators, and parents understand the MCAS testing…

Improved dissemination and utilization of results from statewide assessment of student performance is critically needed. Prior research shows that less than one third of all states can provide evidence of using such data to make significant classes of decisions most frequently cited as a justification for the initiation of such programs. Yet the…

This guide explains results and other information in the "Test Item Analysis Report," the "School Report," and the "District Report" for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests for spring 2000. It is designed to help superintendents, principals, and other administrators as they review the…

The profiles of the California Statewide assessment program permit comparison of a district's test performance with that of previous years and of other districts. After a brief explanation of the tests' development, content, administration, and limitations, this interpretive guide explains how the results are displayed in the district profiles. A…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was initiated in the mid-1960's to collect student achievement information over time and describe the data in ways meaningful to the nation's educational and civic leaders. This work presents the Florida perspective on how NAEP can be improved to aid educational decision-makers in the…

Starting with the ninth grade, Hawaiian students are given the opportunity to take the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies (HSTEC) to demonstrate mastery of 14 Essential Competencies. These competencies are grouped into those covering the Basic Skills area and those covering the Other Life Skills area (e.g., distinguishing fact from…

This paper presents findings of an analysis of the 1989-90 mathematics and reading portions of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) and of perceptions of special education teachers participating in the MEAP. Noted are the purpose of the MEAP and exclusion for students who: (1) receive more than half their reading/English instruction…

The primary purpose of the 1983 Statewide Testing Program was to assess the achievement of 4th, 7th, and 10th grade students in South Carolina public schools. The results from the Statewide Testing Program provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process at the State, district, and school levels. Besides the…

A statewide sample testing of writing skills in the fourth, seventh, and tenth grades was conducted by the Michigan Educational Assessment Program in the fall of 1982. This report, which shares the writing assessment information (historical, descriptive, and interpretive) for educational decision-making, was prepared in the hope of increasing…

This document is designed to help the reader understand the district profiles of the California statewide testing program. These data assist the reader to compare a districts' performance with that of previous years and of other districts, especially those with similar characteristics. A brief description of the development and content of the…

Each year all Georgia children and youth in the fourth, eighth and eleventh grades are tested; the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills is used in the fourth and eighth grades, the Tests of Academic Progress in the eleventh grade. Test scores which provide a wealth of information, may be used as a tool for the teacher, principal, curriculum specialist or…

The New Hampshire statewide testing program was implemented to provide a data base for the evaluation of the effectiveness of Title I projects as required by Federal law. To accomplish this objective, achievement and intelligence tests were administered to children in Title I projects and regular programs in four elementary grades--2, 4, 6 and 8.…