Educational standards, student achievement and basic skills are discussed. Various definitions of standards are given, and a definition which encompases individual differences is preferred. Educational research conducted in New Zealand indicates that there has been no sharp decline in academic achievement, although in primary- and…

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) was designed to provide information on the extent to which Michigan students have attained minimal performance objectives. This manual was written to help local Michigan school district staff read, interpret, and use MEAP data. The 1977-78 MEAP provided objective-referenced achievement measures in…

The legislative history and provisions, implementation, and intended use of 12 state-mandated programs are described. Florida's program was mandated in 1971. The other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) initiated programs after 1975; most are in their…

The following steps have been taken to accomplish the goals of the Wisconsin Pupil Assessment Program: the development of objective-referenced tests; the administration of a standardized norm-referenced test; reporting of trends in performance on these tests; and the availability of two testing services and personnel for consultation purposes.…

This manual is designed to accompany reports prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the 505 school districts in that state, summarizing results of the Educational Quality Assessment. The normative sample is described as being stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administrative procedures are summarized.…

A survey was conducted of achievement testing practices in the intermediate and senior divisions of French-language Ontario schools. Grades 7-8 and grades 9-10 were discussed separately. Department heads, administrators, and board of education members were interviewed concerning the availability and curricular validity of the French-language…

Minimal competency testing is the most recent evolution of the accountability movement and of the competency based education movement. It focuses on the basic academic skills of reading, writing, and arithemtic. It presumes the state will set educational objectives, and that the local school district will conduct its program so that the objectives…

In September 1977 a reading and language arts test, based upon 40 objectives slated for student accomplishment by the end of grade four, was administered to all Delaware fourth graders. This test, the Objective-Referenced Measure in Communications, was intended to provide entry level diagnostic information to classroom teachers and to inform…

This document presents descriptions of the content that has been identified as essential for all Kentucky students to know and will be included on the state assessment, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The core content in this document is designed to be used with, not instead of, the expectations outlined in…

This document, fourth in a series, describes trends in statewide assessment programs. It is based on surveys conducted in the past for the Association of State Assessment Programs. States were asked to describe the assessment programs they operated during the 1995-96 school year. Part One of the survey asks each state to describe its existing…

The fifth edition of the "Annual Survey of State Student Assessment Programs," tabulates extensive and detailed information about each state's assessment programs based on surveys conducted in the past for the Association of State Assessment Programs. The entire survey is presented. Part One asks each state to describe its existing…

This report addresses issues concerned with reporting educational results for students with disabilities, identifies principles to guide reporting practices, and offers recommendations. The report notes that there are many purposes for reporting and that reporting information on students with disabilities is important because it ensures that they…

This bibliography provides abstracts of 28 recent (most were published since 1993) books, journal articles, and other documents concerned with testing accommodations for students with disabilities. The emphasis was on studies examining the effects of testing accommodations on the technical integrity of assessment measures. However, the…

The extent to which the instruction, assessment, and Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) test preparation activities of language arts teachers aligned with the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) and the reading and writing tasks on the MSPAP was studied in the 1996-97 school year. The reading and writing activities of 280…

The evolution of the California Assessment Program from its legislative origins in 1961 is discussed. The following topics are included: history; analysis and reporting of results; program impact; program assessment; and future changes in emphasis. (MH)