The North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program is a private school voucher program that provides state-funded vouchers worth up to $4,200 to eligible students entering kindergarten through 12th grade. Because the public and private school sectors administer different assessments, we recruited approximately 700 students to take a common,…

It is argued that publishers of achievement tests, especially those who publish tests intended for use in many parts of the United States, are for the most part not in a position to obtain any decent evidence about the consequences of the uses that are made of their tests. What responsibilities and actions publishers can reasonably be expected to…

This guide in English and Spanish is designed to answer questions parents may have about the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), including how it will help improve their children's education, how it is scored, and how to use the information it provides. In Washington, clear educational goals for subject content, thinking skills, and…

This research investigated the effects of two contrasting pre-k curricula, relative to practice as usual, on subsequent academic achievement. One curriculum had a strong literacy focus, the other was a less didactic "developmentally appropriate" curriculum that allowed children to have more influence on classroom activities. The purpose…

This report from the WisKids Count project, instead of being the usual annual data book about an array of issues affecting children, is a collection of essays that take a critical look at the practice of standardized testing and the status of testing in Wisconsin. In the 2002-2001 school year, more than 250,000 Wisconsin children in public schools…

State mandated tests are being implemented in the public schools, but states differ greatly in the complexity of their tests, making comparisons very difficult. States may have widely different definitions of what counts as proficient, and it is evident that state standards are set arbitrarily. It is also important to consider the relationship of…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the assessment procedures initiated and used by most Canadian provinces during the past decade to describe public school reading achievement, to identify commonalities and differences among those procedures, and to comment on the significance of the identified trends. The stated purposes of evaluation…

This handbook contains information about the statewide testing programs in Georgia. These programs provide a comprehensive perspective on students' educational achievement from kindergarten through high school. This guide contains information on these statewide assessments: (1) the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program-Revised; (2) the…

This book takes readers through the often confusing landscape of standardized testing and explains what tests are and what they are not. The book discusses how to interpret test scores, different types of standardized tests, and specific standardized tests. This revised edition also contains discussions of the Third International Mathematics and…

This test administration plan sets forth the terms and conditions which govern the administration of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), an instrument designed to measure the achievement of the communication and computation skills expected of all students by the time they complete their sophomore year. CLAST scores are required of all…

Hawaii's testing program for 1971-72 is described, and test results are provided. Following an introduction and a glossary of technical terminology, narrative summaries of all the tests administered are provided. These tests are: California Test of Mental Maturity; California Achievement Test--Reading; SCAT; STEP--Reading, Mathematics, Writing,…

The 1969-70 report on California's testing program provides information on the achievement scores of students in grades one, two, three, six, and twelve. The report is divided into three parts: (1) a statewide analysis and summary--an introduction to the report which begins with a summary of the findings; (2) percentile ranks and normalized…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between a high school student's score on the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) and the same student's score on the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in the area of mathematics. Student test scores were secured from 182 students at a middle Georgia high school…

This handbook is designed to help Utah educators implement student assessment procedures that are in harmony with the State graduation requirements of 1984, which identify implementation and assessment of student achievement as the responsibilities of local boards of education. The State graduation requirements and programs of study allow…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the direct and indirect influences that testing has on students. Subjects consisted of 12 male and 127 female kindergarten through grade 12 teachers in North Carolina--a state that mandates standardized testing. Districts may use only those test required by the state or they may use…