Issues related to linking tests with constructed response items were explored, specifically by comparing single-group and anchor-test designs to link raw scores from alternate forms of performance-based student assessments in the context of Delaware's assessment program using performance-based assessment. This study explored use of the two test…

This study examined critical issues related to including students with disabilities in the Texas assessment and accountability system and recommended a plan of action to address these issues. The statewide stakeholder group examining the issues focused particularly on local implementation barriers. The report begins with a discussion of assessment…

Some of the reasons efforts are being made to reform education are discussed, and how these reforms are likely to affect U.S. schools is explored. Data collected annually by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) indicate that almost all states have some form of assessment that is administered to all students at one or more grade…

Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA), as mandated by the Kansas State Board of Education, requires schools to document student learning through multiple assessment strategies and requires students to participate in state-developed assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. The Kansas National Education Association has joined…

Effects of assessment on curriculum and instruction were studied in an investigation that considered local educators' reactions to statewide minimum competency testing, the instructional effects of implementing these tests, and variations within each state. The two states examined were Pennsylvania, a low-stakes situation with relatively minor…

The New Standards Project is a joint effort of the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) and the National Center on Education and the Economy toward creation of a national examination system based on performance assessments. This study explored the feasibility of comparing performance on…

An attempt is made to summarize the perspectives and relevant experience of state-level higher education leadership in responding to the proposals for national assessment resulting from Goal V, Objective 5, of the National Education Goals, which calls for improvement in the critical thinking, ability to communicate, and problem-solving ability of…

The Colorado "Standards and Assessment Resource Bank" on CD-ROM contains updated information about the Colorado Student Assessment Program, the text of the "Standards-Based Classroom Operator's Manual," and a bank of standards-based units, assessments, and staff development materials submitted by Colorado teachers and school…

This report compares information gathered from the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test administrations of 1986 and 1988 with data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests given those same years (mathematics and science in 1986 and reading and United States history in 1988). The focus is on how…

The reference group summaries for the data from the October 1991 Comprehensive Assessment Reports for New York State are presented in two separate booklets, Part 1 and Part 2. The purpose of the reference group summaries is to enable school administrators to compare the data for their schools and school districts with those for the various…

The conceptual framework for the instructionally sensitive assessment that guided the analyses of data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) are described. The intellectual rationale for the project effort and the current draft version of the guiding conception of "instructionally sensitive psychometrics" are discussed,…

This document provides a model for the national assessment of higher order thinking and consists of a preface and four main sections. The preface discusses the problem of lower order learning, summarizes the state of research into critical thinking and instructional reform, and explains the structure of the paper. Section 1 of the paper describes…

This collection of 18 papers (selected from a total of 57 presented at a conference of the International Association for Educational Assessment) represents efforts by examining bodies and institutes to: improve the examination system and testing techniques; develop reliable instruments; and establish standards for public examinations. The papers…

A model is presented for including student outcome measures on teacher evaluation systems when there are needs for both formative and summative evaluation data. The experiences of Kentucky and Georgia provided bases for the development of the dual purpose assessment model. Pilot tests in Kentucky and Georgia were specific to the top-down…

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…