The Comparing Options in Secondary Mathematics: Investigating Curriculum (COSMIC) project is a longitudinal study of student learning from two types of mathematics curricula: integrated and subject-specific. Previous large-scale research studies such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicate that numerous variables are…

Discussed are nine questions regarding standard setting issues in educational testing: (1) Should normative or content-referenced standards be used? (2) Different standard setting methods yield different results. Does this finding present a problem? (3) Assess the adequacy of the grounding of various methods of standard setting in psychological…

The judgment of whether or not a city's Title I reading program is a success is dependent upon the length of time used in the evaluation. This study's findings that estimates of achievement rates and judgments of success were dramatically affected by the length of time used in the evaluation was consistent across all the compensatory education…

The Lansing Community College (LCC) Math Lab offers two arithmetic and two developmental algebra courses and provides a placement and proficiency testing program for the mathematics department and for other selected departments in the college. Students who participate in Math Lab courses: (1) take a placement test and/or have a placement interview…

A large-scale and a small-scale simulation of the reallocation of students into and out of an originally-selected treatment group were performed. It was postulated that both the scores on a selection test and teacher ratings are measures of student needs in the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). In the norm-referenced model, three…

This paper focuses on certain technical aspects of reading-program evaluation, noting the differences in decision-making requirements and data-collection procedures between local administrators and State and Federal evaluators. The paper discusses the following differences in decision-making requirements: evaluating groups or individuals,…

The Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation (EDMS) at the University of Maryland is working to develop Master's degree programs that are oriented around developing assessment professionals for work in applied settings. Two fundamentally different sets of experiences are being developed: (1) assessment development, administration, and…

This document reports the Northern Territory Primary Assessment Program (Australia), which monitors student achievement in reading and mathematics in grades 5 and 7 in urban primary schools and grade 5 to post-primary in Aboriginal schools. The aim of the program is to provide teachers with a set of assessment materials and provide information…

Although much has been written about educational evaluation, few guidelines exist for consumers--project directors, school administrators, curriculum developers, legislators, teachers, parents, and boards of education. Several cautions surface from a review of the literature. First, tests that are based on program objectives are most useful to…

This report gives the 1990 results of the Primary Assessment Program (PAP). The program monitors achievement in reading and mathematics in urban and Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territory (Australia). It provides feedback to schools on the performance of their students in basic skills and provides indicators of performance for public…

Discussions were held with administrative staff and evaluators from the New York City Public Schools in order to identify sources of data for evaluating special education programs. Data which are generally available include: (1) citywide reading test scores; (2) number of diplomas issued; (3) number of students decertified; (4) number of students…

In the final stages of drafting the 1974 revision of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests, it became clear to the committee members that the various drafts of the revisions emphasized the assessment of individuals, rather than program evaluation. Because of its concern, the committee decided to finish the present draft and to…

Due to a concern regarding the validity of Chicago public elementary schools standardized test scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, a test audit was conducted. The audit was limited to 40 schools. Two schools were selected from each of the 20 administrative districts, with each school testing one seventh- and one eighth-grade class. These…

The accuracy with which regression models estimate treatment effects is dependent upon a number of conditions. The stability of the regression line (a function of sample size and correlation between pretest and posttest) is said to be the most important of these conditions. The utility of regression models is proportional to the size of the…

The experiences of state and local education agencies in implementing the RMC evaluation models in their evaluations of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I programs are discussed with emphasis on the problems encountered, suggestions for resolving these problems, and encouraging results which have been reported. Four activities are…