The Indiana Department of Education's (IDOE's) Accessibility and Accommodations Information for Statewide Assessments is intended for school-level personnel and decision-making teams as they prepare for and implement Indiana statewide assessments. Information is provided for school personnel as a reference to inform guidance on accessibility…

The 2025-2026 Indiana Assessments Policy Manual communicates established guidelines regarding appropriate test administration in Indiana for key stakeholders including educators and Test Coordinators. This document contains policy guidance and appendices that delineate specific aspects of test implementation, including test security protocol,…

To investigate possible iPad related mode effect, we tested 403 8th graders in Indiana, Maryland, and New Jersey under three mode conditions through random assignment: a desktop computer, an iPad alone, and an iPad with an external keyboard. All students had used an iPad or computer for six months or longer. The 2-hour test included reading, math,…

This report provides a summary of states currently administering end-of-course (EOC) assessments. The number of EOC assessments administered by states, the subjects most likely to have an associated EOC exam, and the purpose of EOC exams (for example, percentage of the final course grade and/or graduation requirement) are reviewed. State policies…

Opponents of the Common Core State Standards are ramping up legislative pressure and public relations efforts aimed at getting states to scale back--or even abandon--the high-profile initiative, even as implementation proceeds and tests aligned with the standards loom. Critics of the common core have focused recent lobbying and media efforts on…

Much of the debate surrounding school choice in general and charter schools in particular revolves around the types of students who choose to leave their traditional public schools in favor of enrolling in charter schools and the possible effects of these choices on the schools that they leave behind (Dee & Fu, 2004; Henig, 1994; Schneider,…

Summarizes interviews with 60 Indiana superintendents and principals concerning the effects of statewide student achievement testing on the operation of schools or school systems. It describes side effects from the testing, noting they are so numerous and severe they may be worse than the problems they are supposed to cure. (SM)

This article is a description of the process of constructing an assessment of written and oral language for pre-service teachers. This assessment was used prior to their formal admission into the teacher education programme. The rationale for this evaluation is presented along with the actual processes involved. Finally, comparisons are made…

This report discussed the following questions in regard to testing, measurement and evaluation in the Indiana public schools: (1) Where are we? (2) Is "where we are" different from where we perceive we should be? (3) Do teachers feel competent in testing? (4) How are teachers' skills viewed by their "superiors," the central…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

Describes the cash award system Indiana developed to reward schools for relative improvement in language arts proficiency, mathematics proficiency, overall achievement performance, and attendance. The article looks at problems with the program, how the program was implemented, how money was used, and positive and negative rhetoric. (SM)

Now that all 50 states and the District of Columbia are building statewide longitudinal data systems, the next step is to ensure that the information in these systems is used to improve student learning. The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) has identified 10 actions that states can take to ensure that the right data are available and accessible and…

FOR A REPORT ON COLLEGE PROGRAMS IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION, THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH OBTAINED SYLLABI AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FROM DIRECTORS OF FRESHMAN COMPOSITION AT 66 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. AMONG THE DATA ASSEMBLED FOR THE FULL REPORT (AVAILABLE AS TE 500 190) ARE THE DESCRIPTIONS OF FRESHMAN ENGLISH PROGRAMS AT FOUR…

RESULTS ARE GIVEN OF A 1965 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGNED TO SHOW INDIANAPOLIS FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM PRACTICES BELOW THE NINTH GRADE IN COMPARISON WITH THE PRACTICES OF 46 OTHER LARGE CITIES. QUESTIONS WERE ASKED ON (1) LANGUAGES TAUGHT, (2) LEVEL AT WHICH LANGUAGE STUDY IS BEGUN, (3) PROGRAM CONTINUITY, (4) PUPIL PARTICIPATION, (5) HOW TIME FOR…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…