This paper examines the Algebra II course and California Star Test (CST) proficiency levels in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the State of California. CST proficiency levels are examined by grade level for the State and nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area region. Algebra II is shown to be one of the more complicated courses in the CSU…

A critical look into assessing the Standardized Test and Reporting (STAR) test data among English language learners gives educators a chance to examine the cultural biases present within the standardized test movement started by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In particular, The STAR test results seem to reflect that the test is geared…

The research study examined whether a difference existed between the reading achievement scores of an experimental group and a control group in standardized reading achievement. This difference measured the effect of systematic oral reading fluency instruction with repeated readings. Data from the 4Sight Pennsylvania Benchmark Reading Assessments…

It was hypothesized that receiving a problem of the day would result in higher mathematics scores on the Ohio Ninth Grade Proficiency Test. An experimental group consisting of 19 students received a problem of the day treatment every day during the 5 month period. The 19 students in the control group received no special treatment. Test scores of…

As an action research project, a program was developed to improve test-taking skills to increase standardized test scores. The targeted population was high school juniors in a small Midwestern community in west central Illinois. The problem of low standardized test achievement was documented through data that revealed that students fell below the…

Inequalities in the distribution of education resources and cultural identification can lead to lower SAT scores for African American and Latino students. By using SAT scores as one of the primary sources to determine admission to institutions of higher education, educators may be denying minority students admission to a variety of colleges and…

The state in which the target school is located recently mandated a standardized examination to assess academic progress in high schools. This sparked the interest of the target schools administration and teachers in finding ways to assist students in improving standardized examination performance. A comparison group of 4 classes of approximately…

A review of the literature on the use of standardized tests suggested that standardized testing has not improved education and that alternative assessments are a more accurate measure of a student's knowledge. A study conducted in Randolph County (West Virginia) investigated whether elementary school teachers agreed with these conclusions. Results…

To determine the effects of a hot breakfast program on elementary school students' academic achievement, absenteeism, and lateness behaviors, a study was undertaken of standardized achievement test scores for 23 second-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders at an elementary school participating in a district-wide breakfast program. Specifically, the…

Statewide assessments, developed by several states, of student learning in the visual arts, copies of their visual arts assessment tests, technical manuals, supporting documentation, and evaluative approaches other than testing were critically described within this study. Information gathered resulted in grouping the descriptions of state level…

A study compared performance on a silent informal reading inventory and achievement on a standardized reading test, focusing on students' individual skill needs and how effective tests were in identifying specific strengths and weaknesses in these skill areas. Subjects, 25 students entering fourth grade in a primarily middle class suburban…

To determine why ninth grade students taking the "Minimum Basic Skills Test" (MBST) and the "California Achievement Test" (CAT) performed differently in relation to reading achievement, a study investigated whether the noted discrepencies in reading achievement on the tests were due to differences in vocabulary and…

A study was designed to identify and clarify relationships between naturally observed, task-measured, and elicited instances of kindergarten children's role-taking, prosocial behavior and sharing behavior. An additional goal of the study was to illuminate possible relationships between prosocial behavior and children's temperamental…

The effect of the standardized test scores of transient students on the mean of the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade standardized test scores of a school was studied. The groups used in the study were grades 9, 10, and 11 at a new high school in Clarksburg (West Virginia). The study was conducted in the spring of 1998. Groups consisted of 204 9th…

To determine if college and university reading clinics assess students' attitudes toward reading and to discover the methods used in such assessments, questionnaires were sent to the directors of 110 reading clinics. Analysis of the data gathered from the 55 respondents revealed that a majority did assess reading attitudes and that most used…