The article assesses the report of the Sandia National Laboratory's contentions about decline in Scholactic Aptitude Test Scores, National Assessment of Educational Progress achievement, and international assessments. The article suggests the report is generally right about steady trends but seriously flawed by several errors. (SM)

Explores the interaction among self-regulatory (cognitive strategy use, self-regulation) and motivational (intrinsic value, anxiety/confidence) components of learning with the quantity/content of a musician's instrumental practice. The sample consisted of 190 pianists. Indicates that the level of cognitive engagement during practice may provide…

Presents Bishop Ward High School (Kansas) as a case study that has seen great improvements in standardized testing results by changing its approach. States that realignment of curriculum, adjusting instructional strategies, and accommodating students with special needs are important aspects of raising assessment scores in high schools. (CJW)

Finds that comprehension strategy use and Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) reading scores were significantly correlated with each other and with grade point average (GPA). The strategies that discriminated between students in terms of GPA performance and TASP reading scores were related to several distinct facets of reading comprehension.…

Portfolios, a term derived from the carrying case of paintings or drawings that artists present as proof of their talents, are collections of student work. With the nationwide efforts to raise graduation standards and the increasing use of standardized testing, the idea of basing promotion and graduation decisions on portfolios of students' work…

In "Holding Accountability to Account: How Scholarship and Experience in Other Fields Inform Exploration of Performance Incentives in Education"--a paper presented at the National Center on Performance Incentives research to policy conference in February--Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, argues educational…

The motivation and methodology for measuring intelligence have changed repeatedly in the modern history of large-scale student testing. Test makers have always sought to identify raw aptitude for cultivation, but they have never figured out how to promote excellence while preserving equality. They've settled for egalitarianism, which gives rise to…

The issues of competency testing, standardized testing, and new measures of achievement and competency in college are discussed. Attention is directed to the following questions: what skills and subjects are basic, how can schools enhance and measure competence, and who is responsible for setting higher standards? Considerations of the National…

The criterion-oriented problem of test bias and fairness in selection is compared to the construct-oriented problem of comparability of test scores in cross-cultural research. These problems are shown to have important similarities, and their studies may supplement each other. In a formulation of psychometric criteria for the comparability of test…

This review covers a time span from 1922 to 1980. It examines the link that exists between assessment and teaching. After discussing the milieu in which the two take place, the remainder of the review addresses four questions: (1) how do teachers use test information for instructional decisions?; (2) what has research indicated about the linkage…

During the 1974-75 school year, all second and third grade pupils in California were tested in reading achievement, and all pupils in grades 6 and 12 were tested in the basic skills of reading, written expression, and mathematics. The Reading Test: Second and Third Grades was the instrument used to assess reading achievement; it was developed…

Presented are the records of 1976 seniors in the United States and who registered for the College Boards before April of their senior year. Statistical data presented includes information on: (1) type of high school; (2) ethnic background; (3) high school record; (4) test scores; (5) college plans; (6) activities; (7) skills and abilities; and (8)…

This book provides information, presented in a question-and-answer format, on how schools should educate and accommodate students with disabilities participating in the general curriculum while preserving district-wide standards for all students. It reviews in detail the controlling directives of both the Individuals with Disabilities Education…

School and government officials, system administrators and other policymakers offer a variety of reasons for engaging in high stakes testing: to monitor student performance, to measure teacher and/or school effectiveness, to ensure accountability, etc. Some of these reasons are good; others not. But the best reason--one that is never offered,…

Background: In this article we address some of the challenges posed by the development of national assessment systems and discuss the need for high quality information on trends in attainment; support for school improvement processes and ways in which learning should be enhanced through valid assessment. Purpose: Key elements are explored,…