The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides a framework in which over 80 countries collaborate to build advanced global metrics to assess the knowledge, skills and character attributes of the students. The design of assessments poses major conceptual and technical challenges, as successful learning. Beyond a sound…

Many articles and reports have reviewed, researched, and commented on international assessments from the perspective of exploring what is relevant for the United States' education systems. Researchers make claims about whether the top-performing systems have transferable practices or policies that could be applied to the United States. However,…

Since 1960 Denver has operated a testing program designed to assure that high school graduates possess minimum competence in four basic areas--arithmetic, spelling, grammar, and reading comprehension. (Author/IRT)

Describes the Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (CAM) program which has been in effect in Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb, since 1970. CAM tests are given regularly and frequently, with each test graded and returned to the classroom within a day or two. Much teacher time is saved and the students can see where they stand while the course is in…

Students graduating from Westside High must meet hour and competency test requirements. The seven competency tests are in reading, writing, mathematics, democratic process, problem-solving, oral communication, and consumerism. (IRT)

The Portland (OR) School District has a long-standing tradition of local achievement test development. Portland prefers to use scores and reporting procedures which capitalize on the advantages of "equal interval" which can be analyzed statistically by all procedures available. Portland testing programs serve a number of purposes: (1)…

The Ohio Trade and Industrial Education Achievement Test battery is comprised of seven basic achievement tests: Machine Trades, Automotive Mechanics, Basic Electricity, Basic Electronics, Mechanical Drafting, Printing, and Sheet Metal. The tests were developed by subject matter committees and specialists in testing and research. The Ohio Trade and…

A series of reports describes the activities of the Office of Research and Evaluation and compiles data descriptive of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. This report consists of four appendices, one for each of four test batteries: California Achievement Tests, Sequential Tests of Educational Progress, Boehm Tests of Basic Concepts,…

Activities of the Test Development and Research Office (TEDRO), a division of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), are described. The WAEC is an international educational and professional testing organization established to serve its four member countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. The U.S. Agency for International…

The assessment programs of Alberta Education (Canada) are described, and the principles that guide these programs are reviewed. Alberta is committed to authentic assessment in its three major assessment programs: (1) the Diploma Examinations Program for certification in specific courses at the end of high school; (2) the Achievement Testing…

Before an item bank is constructed, several curriculum and testing considerations should be addressed. Such issues include the number of students enrolled in the selected subject area; number of desired objectives and items per objective; method of storing the items; and how and when to train how many teachers in item writing. The following steps…

INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT ARE SEPARATE EVALUATIONS OF 19 PROJECTS AND FIVE SUBPROJECTS, A DESCRIPTION OF A PROGRAM TO MASS-TEST A CROSS SECTION OF PUPILS FROM TITLE I SCHOOLS, AND THE RESULTS OF AN ACROSS-PROJECT TITLE I SURVEY. SIX OF THE PROJECTS (READING PROGRAM, MODERN MATHEMATICS, SCHOOL-COMMUNITY COORDINATORS, ELEMENTARY ART, COUNSELOR AIDES)…

An brief overview of the Achievement Testing Program conducted by Alberta Education (AE) during 1980-90 is provided. The program provides AE, jurisdictions, schools, and the public with information about students' knowledge and skills in relation to objectives in the provincial program of studies. Program tests are administered every 4 years on a…

To assist administrators, teachers, and other school personnel in understanding and implementing the various components of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) program, this manual details the ISTEP program, a broad-based achievement testing plan providing Indiana schools with a means of assessing their overall…