Describes rationale and attributes of local assessment program to augment statewide testing programs. Describes several steps to develop and implement a local assessment program, including setting priorities and goals, meeting with state officials, developing budgets and funding sources, forming development teams, providing professional…

Studied teacher attitudes toward high-stakes and mandated testing in two New York elementary schools. Findings show high-stakes tests forced teachers to act in ways they did not think were professional and required instructional environments teachers did not think were conducive to student success. (SLD)

This report highlights one of six language arts case study teachers whose classroom was studied for a 2-day period to observe writing instruction, to ask questions about the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System assessments, and to talk with her students about their writing. In this paper, the focus is on questions and how this…

This paper presents a focused case study of Ann and Kay, a team of exemplary elementary teachers, as they worked to modify their mathematics instruction to be consistent with the goals of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS), its innovative high-stakes assessment system. At the time of the…

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program presents an untimed, 100-question Social Studies Test (Form 65) for grade 7 students to assess social studies skills. This document contains the test booklet only. (PN)

Although emphatically not against the concept of educational accountability, the National Education Association (NEA) feels that a redirection is needed in the implementation of such a system. Because of error, especially in testing minority and poor children, accountability programs should never use test results as the major source of data but…

In addition to some general and basic principles regarding the importance of an acceptable accountability system, a number of specific criteria for evaluating state accountability programs is provided. The stated purposes of such a system and the specific uses of the resulting data should be clear and concise. Local control must be retained and…

One method to correct for selection bias in comparing Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores among states is presented, which is a modification of J. J. Heckman's Selection Bias Correction (1976, 1979). Empirical results suggest that sample selection bias is present in SAT score regressions. (SLD)

Describes New Jersey's coordinated, statewide higher education effort involving mandatory testing, remediation, and evaluation. Reviews the program's history; the role of the New Jersey Basic Skills Council (NJBSC); the Basic Skills Placement Test, which focuses on reading comprehension, sentence sense, math computation, and elementary algebra;…

This overview of the Alaska system for test development, scoring, and reporting explored differences and similarities between norm-referenced and standards-based tests. The current Alaska testing program is based on legislation passed in 1997 and 1998, and is designed to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Legislation. In…

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the positive consequences associated with high stakes test use and interpretation in Arizona were shared among all grade levels in the elementary school, not just the tested grades. In addition, a curriculum alignment variable was examined to observe its association with curricular…

The increased use of large-scale assessments to measure student achievement and school performance based on defined standards has had a profound impact on state board of education members and other state policymakers. Almost any decision that involves applying standards will, at some point, be unpopular. Everyone seems to be in favor of standards,…

This document is designed to show the connection between the required state-written curriculum (courses of study) and the state-tested curriculum (the Alabama High School Graduation Examination and the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition [Stanford 9]) in Mathematics. The document illustrates that courses of study content standards embody both…

This guide contains materials to help Delaware educators understand and use the reports from the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP). The tests of the DSTP are tied to the Delaware content standards that define the knowledge and skills required for Delaware students to succeed beyond high school. In spring 2002, the annual administration of…

This study examined two major questions: do national and state assessments provide consistent information on the performance of state education systems, and what accounts for discrepancies between national and state assessment results if they are found? Data came from national and state assessments in grade 4 and grade 8 mathematics from 1992 to…