Since the inception of mandated testing in reading and mathematics, social studies instruction has been marginalized in elementary and middle schools. After the genesis of several state-mandated testing programs and nearly a decade after the launch of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the effects of limited K-8 social studies instruction are…

Using personal narratives and research on teacher "communities of practice," the authors outline a proactive response to high-stakes testing policies that places teacher learning at its center. Although research on the effects of these policies is mixed, the authors are troubled by the ways in which the policies have been used to strip teachers of…

METHODS FOR IDENTIFIYING ACADEMICALLY AND CREATIVELY TALENTED CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE PRESENTED. INCLUDED IS THE ROLE OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS--PARENT OBSERVATIONS, TEACHER OBSERVATIONS, PERMANENT SCHOOL RECORDS, AND SUCH STANDARDIZED TESTS AS INTELLIGENCE, APTITUDE, AND ACHIEVEMENT TESTS. THE NATIONAL…

This combined text and manual presents the basic educational viewpoint of the Gesell Institute, that children should be entered in school (and consequently grouped and promoted) on the basis of their developmental or behavioral age, not on the basis of their chronological age or IQ. The introduction describes the research in which the Institute…

Recent implementation of Nebraska's Standards-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) introduced a unique opportunity to examine the benefits and drawbacks of a teacher-led state assessment system. STARS is unique among state assessment systems in that statewide tests are replaced by locally developed assessments designed by…

Provides background information on the move toward competency testing in composition and the subsequent implications for college writing instructors. Examines problems inherent to developing a comptency based program at the college level and what composition teachers need to be aware of regarding such testing. (HTH)

Describes Nebraska's School-based, Teacher-led Accountability and Reporting System, a statewide accountability program that allows local control of assessment methods. Explains the process of developing teacher-designed assessments in business education, including examples of rubrics and alignment of curriculum with content standards. (SK)

Describes how the Allentown, Pennsylvania, public school district uses district-wide final examinations (along with some class-specific test items designed by teachers) to assess secondary school programs, provide "feedback" to teachers, and evaluate student mastery of learning objectives. (MCG)

This paper describes the intentions of educators and policymakers who implemented a new assessment strategy in Kentucky in 1991, along with its associated shortcomings and one notable success. The principle behind the assessment system was that rather than having an on-demand assessment that would inefficiently replicate the information that was…

Addressing often neglected broad issues, rather than the pragmatics of test development and administration, this Conference on Minimum Competency Achievement Testing was organized around six topics: (1) social and philosophical roots, uniqueness among testing movements, and policy issues; (2) legal, curricular, and social-demographic consequences;…

Argues that standardized testing encourages a standardized pedagogy in a nonstandard, diverse student population and is characterized by logical fallacies and procedural problems. Concludes that conventional tests create barriers to learning and educational policies with important consequences for children. Encourages early childhood teachers to…

Minimum competencies are being imposed on the schools by state legislators frustrated by declining academic achievement. Teachers must not allow this movement to engender a "teaching for the test" mentality. They must work for a balanced curriculum, good remedial programs, and competency tests which provide real feedback for teaching. (SJL)

The British debate over whether college teaching faculty should also be allowed to test their students, or to participate in curriculum design, is examined in the context of the history of British higher education. The evolution of an external, relatively standardized testing system to promote consistency in achievement standards is chronicled.…

Nebraska's approach to standards, assessment, and accountability, the School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) is based upon local control and the belief that classrooms and teachers must be at the heart of student learning and accountability. STARS relies on locally-developed assessment systems to accurately measure and…