Author Jonathan Howland writes here that he is hardly the first to suggest that much of the testing going on in the educational system today appears dumb. The tidal change that brought schools the Common Core standards is a maneuver born of an admission: educators took their eye off the ball, testing for too much of the wrong thing--thin skills…

In music education, current attention to student-centered approaches for learning affects our understanding of student assessment. This view to curriculum reform requires new perspectives for assessment. There is a need to move beyond the summative use of assessment to assign grades to examining the roles of assessment in supporting and enhancing…

Over the last 10 to 15 years, each province and territory in Canada has introduced curriculum based on clearly defined learning goals. They use different labels--for example, "learning outcomes" in Manitoba and Alberta, "expectations" in Ontario--but all are intended to be "standards-based" systems where the focus is…

This handbook is designed as a quick reference for first-year teachers who find themselves in an assessment driven environment with little experience to help make sense of the language, underlying philosophy, or organizational structure of the assessment system. The handbook begins with advice on developing and evaluating effective learning…

THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IS THE ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES. THE DEFINITION OF INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR THE CURRICULUM DESIGNER, TEACHER, AND STUDENT SERVES AS A GUIDE FOR ATTAINING GOALS. WHEN INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENT PERFORMANCE IS THE BASIS FOR CURRICULUM…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act established learning standards that were higher than those of previous educational systems. The main gauge for assessing how well students measure up to these standards is a statewide system that evaluates what students know and can do. In 1991, the Kentucky State Board for Elementary and Secondary Education…

This report provides the technical results of the 1971-72 national assessment of social studies. The results are summarized across assessment exercises for the sample. Exhibits include comparison of age for the learning area, of each of the National Assessment's reporting groups with the national level of performance, of the various groups within…

In this abridged talk concerning the preparation of behavioral objectives for foreign language learning, the author expounds on procedures considered necessary for curriculum development. The four-step model includes: (1) specification of objectives, (2) pre-assessment of previously acquired skills or knowledge, (3) determination of instructional…

State and school district testing activities involving basic reading competency requirements are discussed. The purposes of minimum competency testing in reading include the identification of students who need remedial assistance, and the evaluation of secondary school students regarding graduation requirements. Important considerations regarding…