In this study, the outcomes of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as implemented in Illinois, are evaluated in terms of high school standards testing results between 2003-2013. NCLB was a policy dedicated to closing the gap in schooling outcomes nationally in the space of a decade. There have been few systematic examinations of its macro-level results…

This study examined the academic performance of Tech Prep students (referred to as participants) in comparison to non-Tech Prep students (referred to as non-participants) entering a two-year community college from sixteen different high schools in Stark County, Ohio. This study provided a quantitative analysis of students' academic experiences to…

Background: Validity is a central concern in any assessment, though this has often not been made explicit in the UK assessment context. This article applies current validity theorising, largely derived from American formulations, to national curriculum assessments in England. Purpose: The aim is to consider validity arguments in relation to the…

Background: National curriculum tests have been administered in England for well over a decade. Although reliability evidence has been published, critics have argued that there is not enough evidence (of the right kind) and that test results may be insufficiently reliable. Purpose: This article collates and discusses evidence on the reliability of…

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of a ninth grade transition program at a suburban high school in Louisiana. Student data were analyzed from two groups of first time freshmen who indicated a need for help in mathematics: one without a transition program and one with a transition program. Academic data included standardized test…

A guide for developing educational criterion measures is presented. Subjective evaluations are at best highly variable and conflicting. Specification of objectives precedes selection of criterion measures. The criterion measures presented are intended for evaluation of programs, not pupils. Frequently multiple criterion measures are necessary to…

The third party evaluation of the K-12 career education project RACE (Researched Activities for Career Education) focused on test results of students in four selected grades. A career education questionnaire was administered as a pre-test and again as a post-test to students in the third and sixth grades. Ninth and twelfth grade students were…

Presents results of traditional evaluation methods applied to an alternative high school showing that alternative schools can withstand and should welcome evaluation processes. (DW)

An external evaluation of the impact of the Australian Studies in Student Performance (ASSP) Project on schools and systems is reported. The presented chapters follow in sequence the development of ASSP. The first chapter places the Australian Project in an international context and outlines the major questions dealt with in this evaluation.…

Comments on the effects of the national accountability drive on the teacher. Briefly reports on the results of one accountability program in one school district. (Author/RK)

The three general categories that encompass the legitimate uses to which test data can be put (i.e., public reporting at the local, state, or regional level; identifying needs and allocating resources; and making judgments about promotion and graduation) are identified and examples are offered of policymakers' use and misuse of test results. (LC)

The Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) gain statistic is examined, and considerations for its interpretation are highlighted. The NCE gain is made up of an observed and an expected part. The observed score is the posttest result. The expected score can never be observed nor verified for any of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) models;…

Examines the continuing controversy on test scores and student achievement in New Jersey. (RK)

This mid-1984 "snapshot" of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) focuses on three areas: (1) the state of learning in AISD schools as measured by achievement test results for college bound seniors, graduates, and high achieving, average, and low achieving students; (2) the changes needed in compensatory programs for low…

Schools that are concerned with evaluating their programs need more than just the average scaled assessment scores from standardized tests. To help schools, the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program produces school and district reports that contain the stories behind the averages. These reports describe the kind of students who took the…