Assessing the achievement of students in elementary and secondary schools and the nation's educational progress is fundamental to informing education policy approaches. Congressional interest in this area includes and extends beyond the annual assessments administered by states to comply with the educational accountability requirements of Title…

This article provides examples of how serious misconceptions can result when only "all student" scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are used for simplistic state-to-state comparisons. Suggestions for better treatment are presented. The article also compares Kentucky's eighth grade EXPLORE testing to NAEP…

A comparison of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) indicates that the two should be used interchangeably only with caution and understanding of the differences. While there is a moderate to high correlation between the test scores, nevertheless, the two have distinctly different strengths and…

Examines eight years of reading test scores of entering college freshmen and analyzes the data, taking into consideration relevant contributing factors and testing trends. (HOD)

This paper presents a strategy for measuring cognitive gains in reading during the early school years. It is argued that accurate estimates of gain scores and their appropriate interpretation requires the use of adaptive tests with multiple criterion referenced points that mark learning milestones. It is further argued that two different measures…

To determine how comprehension of the Kuder General Interest Survey (KGIS) was affected by alternate modes of inventory administration and reading levels of eighth grade students (as determined by the California Tests of Basic Skills vocabulary scores), 153 students were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups--standard administration,…

A table was produced to facilitate comparisons among standard scores on the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised, in order to assist diagnosticians in determining intraindividual strengths and weaknesses, and thus contribute to instructional planning. (DB)

A comparison of reading subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test, Peabody Individual Achievement Test, and Slosson Oral Reading Test showed a high correlation between the WRAT and PIAT. Suggests the WRAT and PIAT measure the same dimension of reading achievement, possibly verbal fluency. (Author/JAC)

The state-by-state comparisons of results on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) present the literacy community with some good news and a bit of a puzzle: scores have improved, but the results cannot provide answers as to why one grade or state is doing better or worse than in the past. State-by-state results show that…

School unit achievement gains computed by six different methods are compared. The data include total reading scores from the Metropolitan Achievement Test administered to Title I students in 32 elementary schools. The achievement gains were computed in standard scores, grade equivalents, percentile ranks, residual scores based on individual scores…

Compares twelfth-grade students' performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with their performance on the Metropolitan Achievement Test 1: Reading Survey or the Degrees of Reading Power Test, concluding that the findings challenge the notion that low SAT scores indicate a lack of basic reading skills. (HOD)

During the 1979-80 school year, California public school students in grades 3, 6 and 12 were tested in the basic skills of reading, written expression, and mathematics. Complete statewide results of this California Assessment Program (CAP) are presented, including the following features that have become standard: (1) detailed findings including…

A pilot study explored the nature of the relationship between test and classroom evidence and considered how these different sources of evidence were used in assessing and promoting student growth and development in reading. Test estimates of third-grade children in two public elementary programs in New York City were compared with estimates of…

This report describes the evaluation of the 1973-1974 Distar I and Distar II programs, which were used as Title I programs for first and second graders. Distar I was used with two first grade classes; Distar II was used with two second grade classes. Children who had completed two years of Distar instruction received traditional instruction in…