Evaluations of teacher preparation programs (TPPs) based in part on the performance of program completers have emerged as an education reform strategy in several states and have become central features of the Race to the Top (RTTT) grant competition. The objective of this policy review is to examine how the state of Tennessee measured and reported…

This study investigates whether adequate yearly progress (AYP) status, locale, and sector--common variables used to judge the quality of schools--accurately signal true differences in instructional practices in high school mathematics and science. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS), we find the school-to-school variation in…

Value-added models and growth-based accountability aim to evaluate school's performance based on student growth in learning. The current focus is on linking the results from value-added models to the ones from growth-based accountability systems including Adequate Yearly Progress decisions mandated by No Child Left Behind. We present a new…

The Texas Projection Measure (TPM) has grown out of the state's need to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). An examination of the state's method of predicting 8th grade mathematics scores reveals that several factors have been ignored in the process of developing the model, including assumptions in its underlying statistical…

Results are presented of an onsite review of data gathered in 1971 by the Consolidated Program Information Report (CPIR), a survey instrument designed to fill the data needs of the Office of Education and state education agencies in relation to federally funded elementary and secondary education programs. This validation and error analysis of CPIR…

This report reviews the current literature (mostly since 1993) on testing accommodations for students with disabilities, with an emphasis on studies examining the effects of testing accommodations on the technical integrity of assessment measures. The report notes a continuing lack of empirical research on testing accommodations, but evidence of…