Many states have implemented or expanded state-funded prekindergarten programs in the last decade, encouraged by claims about the benefits that can be expected and the importance of early experiences for children's development, especially for economically disadvantaged children. However, there is remarkably little methodologically adequate…

Teachers spend most of their time in school in classrooms, and their instruction and teaching practices may be affected by classroom context such as class size. We examine whether teacher effects interact with classroom context such as class size. Specifically, we seek to determine whether teacher effects are more pronounced in small classes than…

Test developers are responsible to define how test scores should be interpreted and used. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) directed the Secretary of Education to use results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to confirm the proficiency scores from state developed tests. There are two sets of federal definitions…

The testing of every fourth-grade classroom in Massachusetts was carried out in an effort to answer the following questions: (1) What are the levels of mastery of basic skills in Massachusetts fourth grades? Are there differences in achievement between skills?; (2) What educational needs can be inferred for Massachusetts' students, based on basic…

The purpose of this paper is to outline and explain the evaluation system used by the Rhode Island Department of Education to measure the effectiveness of compensatory education programs. An exposition of how relevant background, program and financial information is collected is presented. In addition, a delineation is made of the methods…

A socially moderated link was established between statewide achievement results and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by using the same achievement level descriptions in an Iowa Test of Basic Skills standard-setting and an NAEP standard setting study. A statistically moderated link was established through an equipercentile…

The 1972-73 Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) provided information on 22 measures of students and schools. While some of the data were gathered in routine Michigan Department of Education reports, student performance data were gathered using the Michigan Assessment of Basic Skills battery, Form VMT during January 1973. The battery…

The 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will mark the first time that state-level comparisons will be possible with NAEP data. The 1990 data will contain, as a trial component, state-level assessments of eighth graders in mathematics. Mathematics and reading comparisons for fourth graders will be added in 1992. Statistical…

This explanatory booklet and the materials that accompany it have two major purposes. The first purpose is to provide local school officials with information regaing the performance on basic skills achievement of each student who took the 1971-72 Michigan Educational Assessment Battery. The second purpose is to provide local officials with…

This explanatory booklet and the materials that accompany it have two major purposes. The first purpose is to provide local school officials information regarding the performance on basic skills achievement of each student who took the 1972-73 Michigan Educational Assessment Battery. The second purpose is to provide local officials with…

The purpose of this booklet is to assist the reader in understanding and utilizing the local district and local school reports provided by the Michigan Educational Assessment Program for the testing period January 1973. This document accompanies the data sheets and norm tables provided to each district and is intended to facilitate their use. This…

The two major purposes of this study are: (1) To provide local school officials with information regarding the performance on basic skills achievement of each student who took the 1970-71 Michigan Educational Assessment Battery, and (2) To provide local officials with information that will assist them in understanding and interpreting their…

A manual for assessing the effectiveness of an elementary school , taking differences in the school's resources into account, is presented. The Pennsylvania State Board of Education established the Bureau of Educational Quality Assessment which developed a measurement package in Phase I. Field tests were conducted on grade 5 students in 1968 in…

The purpose of this study was to improve both statistical and judgmental methods for detecting potentially biased test items in an attempt to examine the agreement between the results obtained with these methods. If greater agreement between methods can be achieved, test items can be more effectively screened using judgmental methods prior to…

This technical report describes the procedures followed in developing the tests used in the California Assessment Program, the underlying principles of the program, the statistical characteristics of the tests, and the evidence that has been accumulated relating to the validity and reliability of the tests. The report also presents complete…