Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have recently received waivers to the school accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As the prospects for reauthorizing the Act in the near term are dim, these new accountability systems will be law for at least several years. Drawing on a four-part framework from the…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are an increasing presence in schools in the United States. Title I and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act require that these students meet the same academic grade-level standards and participate in content assessments as their fluent-English speaking peers without…

Threats to the validity of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System are covered in two parts: an annotated bibliography of reports concerned with technical issues, and a discussion of threats to validity--from the reporting system in general and from each model in particular. Threats common to all three evaluation models are reported:…

Measurement terms used in Title I evaluation are contained in this glossary. Several types of measurement techniques are identified and defined. Other measurement terms which are defined include those relating to validity, reliability, statistical analysis, test interpretation, and program effectiveness. (DWH)

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;…

The tenability of the equipercentile growth assumption was investigated. This assumption is the basis of the norm referenced evaluation model (Model A) for Title I program evaluations, and supposes that a cohort of students, given no special educational intervention, will maintain the same percentile rank over the course of a school year, as…

The internal validity of the RMC models, especially Model A, is examined. Concern centers on limiting evaluation to cognitive outcomes, using constant percentile as the no-treatment expectation, and using norms for one test to establish the expected no-treatment performance level for another test. (MH)

Two ESEA Title I evaluation models developed by the Resource Management Corporation (RMC), were field tested simultaneously with 560 Title I reading students, grades 2-8. Measuring instruments for models 1 and 2 were, respectively, the California Achievement Test (reading vocabulary section), a norm-referenced test; and the Tarmac Reading…

A liberal interpretation of Section 151 of Public Law 93-380, to implement effective local evaluation of Title I programs, is supported. Weaknesses are cited: (1) nationwide impact data, (2) unsound aggregation of Title I achievement gains, and (3) lack of consideration of alternative evaluation methods. (MH)

To explain discrepancies in Utah's elementary school test results under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS), researchers investigated the adequacy and validity of TIERS evaluation models. Model A (norm-referenced testing) is used in most Utah school districts, in preference to Models B or C…

Title I Evaluation models using uniform procedures and data collection for state and national comparisons are interpreted as federal endorsement of basic, common competencies in reading and mathematics. Basic competencies, content homogeneity, conversion methodology, and validity of the evaluation are discussed. (MH)

The stated purpose of this study is to determine what pupil, teacher, and school district characteristics relate to young children's expressed attitudes as measured by the School Sentiment Index and to determine the usefulness of this measurement instrument. The subjects of the study were kindergarten through grade two children who received…

The three RMC models endorsed by the U.S. Office of Education for the evaluation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I programs are based on narrowly conceived approaches to evaluation--the measurement of cognitive achievement gains. Each model requires the comparison of observed student performance with an estimate of what level of…