Responding to doubts about the validity of test results that showed the Pittsburgh School District's school improvement project to be highly successful, the district validated its results by administering a different test to a representative sample of students in secure conditions. (MCG)

A study of 20 North Carolina elementary schools shows that changes in California Achievement Test scores over a 2-year period do not correlate with changes in effective schools correlates. Results suggest that prescriptive use of the effective schools practices may be misguided. (SLD)

Analysis of the available data suggests that New York's elementary and secondary schools, taken as a whole, compiled a good record of achievement during the 1982-83 school year. Three kinds of test data were analyzed. One was the result of a study which involved the collection of scores on three commercially available standardized tests: the…

This study investigated the relationship of an organization's clear and focused mission and the role of the principal as a strong instructional leader to the academic achievement of students. Focus was on extending educators' understanding of the types of goals selected by instructionally effective schools and activities of principals in schools…

About 30,000 students in Grades 1 through 12 in Jackson, Mississippi, were studied to determine the effectiveness of instruction for all major social groups represented by the student population during the 1986-87 school year. The California Achievement Test and course grades were used to obtain core data. Demographic data were obtained for…

Empirical norms are a traditional and accepted tool for reporting performance. Other methods (e.g., statistical regression) are used more often in a research context to make conditional statements about performance given a certain demographic context. This paper illustrates a method for the construction of differentiated school norms and the…

The Saginaw Successful Schools Project (S3P) was described and evaluated using data collected from 1980 to 1985. S3P is a school improvement project based on instructional and school effectiveness research findings; but the starting point for change is determined by staff in each of the 31 school buildings. The School Improvement Survey (SIS) was…

This report describes various components of the process of disaggregating student achievement data and provides examples of each component. Information is provided to allow school districts to conduct their own school effectiveness evaluation. Results of the California Achievement Tests form one of the bases of the analysis. The underlying…

A study was conducted to determine if actual California Achievement Test subtest scores were significantly different than expected in a large, urban school district that had just implemented its first component--staff development--based on the Effective School Model (ESM). Subjects consisted of 1,591 fourth through sixth graders and 1,557 sixth…

Various models of school effects on student achievement were applied in a study of reading and mathematics achievement in the 94 schools of the Oklahoma City Public Schools. The Leadership/Climate Inventory, completed by 1294 teachers, rated school principals in the areas of expectations, instructional leadership, forceful or dynamic style,…

From a sample of 6,000 pupils in a Tennessee school district, this study relates the variables of gender, social class, and number of parents in student households to achievement on a norm-referenced test. Charts presenting data findings comprise three-fourths of the document. Investigation was motivated by studies that connect student learning…

Pupils at three elementary schools and one junior high school among Area 1 inner-city schools of St. Louis Missouri, were identified as scoring well below norms on standardized tests. An effort to change the educational programs at these schools netted financial support and the creation of Project SHAL (named for the schools involved). Inservice…