Recently, Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) completed a study to connect the scale of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) Testing Program used for Minnesota's mathematics and reading assessments with NWEA's RIT (Rasch Unit) scale. Information from the state assessments was used in a study to establish performance-level scores on…

As part of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is an evidence-based assessment system that uses screening and formative assessments to help guide instruction. The two primary purposes of this study are to examine the relations between the easyCBM benchmark measures and a statewide large-scale assessment and…

Recent research attributes the lack of merit pay in teaching to the resistance of teachers. This paper examines whether the structure of merit pay affects the types of teachers who support it. We develop a model of the relative utility teachers receive from merit pay versus the current fixed schedule of raises. We show that if teachers are risk…

The objective inmate classification system in use in California's prisons is described. Evaluation of 14,091 cases suggests that the system reduces the rate of increase in the incidence of serious prisoner misconduct. Empirical evaluation of the system is recommended, and implications for correctional programs and public policy are discussed. (SLD)

TWO HYPOTHESES RELATING THE AMOUNT OF RISK-TAKING A COUNSELOR DISPLAYS TO HIS JOB SUCCESS AND JOB SATISFACTION WERE PROPOSED. HOWEVER, RISK-TAKING, AS MEASURED BY WILLINGNESS TO BET ON ANSWERS TO A REHABILITATION INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE TEST GIVEN TO 83 COUNSELORS IN FOUR STATES, LACKED A RELATIONSHIP OF PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. A SECOND STUDY…

In the year 2000, the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE) was given for the first time. The HSGQE is currently scheduled to be a graduation requirement for all students graduating as of January 2002, but early results from the use of the HSGQE in the Anchorage school district raise serious questions about the use of the…

This study examined the construct validity of the subtests in the California Entry Level Test (ELT). The ELT is administered to every first grade pupil in California as part of the California Assessment Program and is used as a baseline measure of the prereading skills of beginning first graders. The discriminant validity of the subtests was…

On the surface, it appears that it should be quite simple to identify the characteristics of a child who is ready for school and then to assess whether or not any given child has these characteristics. But readiness is a difficult construct and one that has been the topic of great debate. Assessment of readiness is even more challenging. Policies…

A Teacher Survey was developed for administration to Illinois teachers whose students take the Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP). The IIEP are the achievement tests of the state assessment program. The purposes of the Teacher Survey range from determination of a test's curricular validity to investigations of teachers' abilities to…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of American students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement over time. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) has established new standards for reporting the results that determined three…

The predictive validity of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) tests of communications skills (CS) and general knowledge (GK) as entrance requirements for teacher education programs and for later performance on the state certification examination were studied. Data were collected for 1,143 graduates of teacher education programs in North…

Assessment results were examined for 2,351 students in a large Southwestern school district over a 4-year period. Assessment in the first year consisted of the full battery of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) administered to all third graders in the district. In the following year (grade four), the same students participated in a…

The evaluation of the Minnesota College Statewide Testing Program was based on analysis of the validities of statewide and national tests for predicting freshman grades in Minnesota colleges, on interviews with directors of admission and deans of students in Minnesota colleges, and on discussions with regional gatherings of Minnesota high school…

As an overview of a 6-year federally funded state program, Project MINI-SCORE's final report is intended to provide guidance personnel in Minnesota with occupational data useful for counseling high school students. Over 17,500 applicants to the full-time day programs offered in 24 Minnesota Area Vocational-Technical Schools were tested with a…

A project was conducted to develop a model for evaluating placement testing in the North Carolina System of Community Colleges. Researchers at Central Piedmont Community College conducted a longitudinal study of students' progress through the college curriculum as it related to placement test scores. The following numbers of students comprised the…