The purpose of the qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and understand the impact of standardized testing on educational practice in an urban, Title I school community, and to determine solutions to improve the utility of standardized testing in supporting student learning and achievement. The specific areas of focus are diagnosing…

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the use of student self-assessment of non-cognitive skills is accurate and reliable by comparing them to the assessment of student development provided by their teachers of these same skills. For this study non-cognitive skills refer to skills including communication, collaboration, creative…

The coming decade holds immense potential for dramatic improvement in US education and in the achievement of American children--provided that people seize the opportunities at hand and are not deterred by the obstacles to change. In this volume, members of the Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education examine both the potential gains…

In this paper, we assess students' performance in Elements of Statistics, one of the popular courses in general education, using data from UWF (University of West Florida) for fall 2008, fall 2009, and fall 2010 semesters. We analyze associations between students' performance in the course and several performance related factors including: college…

The arts disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, and dance) merit and require formal study. Policy makers should support studies in the arts as core disciplines, as specified in the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)," the federal legislation that sets policy and appropriations for public education. The arts merit and…

Social work students and faculty are increasingly embracing online education and collaborative teaching. Yet models to support these activities have not been adequately developed. This paper describes how a team of instructors developed, delivered, and evaluated an undergraduate gerontological social work course using a collaborative online…

The adoption of standardised English Language Proficiency (ELP) tests as a tool for assessing students' English competence for graduation is becoming more and more common in higher education in Taiwan. This paper focuses on university undergraduate students and uses data from a questionnaire survey to investigate their views of the application of…

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states located in South-east Asia. The country consists of two geographical regions; Peninsular Malaysia (also known as West Malaysia) and Malaysian Borneo (also known as East Malaysia) separated by the South China Sea. The educational administration in Malaysia is highly centralised with four hierarchical levels;…

During the last few decades, a number of quality improvement methodologies have been used by organizations. This article provides a brief review of the quality improvement literature related to academia and a case study using Six Sigma methodology to analyze students' performance in a standardized examination. We found Six Sigma to be an effective…

A fundamental goal of teachers in public schools in British Columbia (BC) is to ensure all students of every age, through the principle of continuous learning, have an equal opportunity to develop their full capacity for artistic, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. BC public school teachers believe that the primary purpose of…

A study of elementary teachers' reliance on standardized test scores shows that teachers depend more heavily on observation in student assessment. (WD)

Summarizes the findings of the latest study by the American Federation of Teachers on the progress of the standards movement, focusing on standards, curriculum, assessments, and accountability. Discusses whether states have coherent standards-based systems in place and recommends mid-course corrections necessary to the success of the standards…

The advantages and disadvantages of state mandated and locally developed curricula are discussed. State mandates emphasize a measurement philosophy of education in which testing is the name of the game to determine how well students are achieving. One of the advantages of a state mandated curriculum is that the curriculum is aligned with the…

Belief systems underlying assessment practices have thwarted curriculum reform efforts by promoting a narrow curriculum focus and emphasizing memorization and rote application. Authentic assessment in conjunction with standardized testing may more comprehensively evaluate student performance. Many educators' belief systems may be incompatible with…