This report is the first in a series of reports describing results from the Center on Education Policy's (CEP's) third annual analysis of state testing data. The report provides an update on student performance at the proficient level of achievement, and for the first time, includes data about student performance at the advanced and basic levels.…

Many in the research and policy worlds have taken for granted the existence of a phenomenon known as the "plateau effect," wherein test scores rise in the early years of a test-based accountability system and then level off. Drawing from our database of reading and math test results from all 50 states going back as far as 1999, the…

The No Child Left Behind Act sanctions the use of NAEP scores to confirm state testing results. The U.S. Department of Education, as test developer, is responsible to set forth how NAEP scores are to be interpreted and used. Thus far, the Department has not published a clear set of guidelines for using NAEP achievement level scores to conduct a…

ACT maintains that monitoring academic strengths and weaknesses through the effective use of results from standardized tests can promote learning and intellectual growth. When schools use achievement test scores to guide curriculum choices and to provide feedback to students, opportunities for learning increase. The ACT Educational Planning and…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) permits the Secretary of Education to use NAEP achievement level scores, in concert with other data, to confirm state testing results. The U.S. Department of Education has not yet published a guidance document describing how NAEP might be used appropriately. A review of the literature from the Department and…

This report contains tables of District summary data for the achievement tests administered in the spring of the 1982-83 school year to all Austin Independent School District students in grades K-12. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered in grades K-8, the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress (STEP) were administered in…

The Atlanta Public Schools administers a systemwide achievement testing program annually to assess the academic progress of students enrolled in kindergarten through the eleventh grades. The California Achievement Tests (CAT) were adopted in 1980 for that purpose. The results of the 1983 administration of the CAT are reported in this document. A…

This report presents the results of the West Virginia Statewide Assessment Program for 1999-2000. Student performance is reported for the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (SAT-9), the state Writing Assessment, ACT EXPLORE, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Results of all these assessments indicate that West…

This publication provides a reference for those interested in conducting comparative studies about North Carolina tests. It includes norms tables and other basic statistical information for all state-developed tests (state-mandated and local option tests where baseline data are available) that were administered during the current accountability…

The Atlanta Public Schools administer a systemwide achievement testing program annually to assess the academic progress of students enrolled in kindergarten through the eleventh grades. The 1981 administration of the California Achievement Tests revealed evidence that test-level assignments have improved. The regular education students were tested…

The author, as a testing consultant, has considered and answered 16 questions on the various aspects of testing usually asked by school staff members. The questions and answers are primarily concerned with statistical aspects of achievement tests and the best way to interpret test results to clients, parents and teachers. The need for caution in…

This booklet contains the graphs of mean cumulative and achievement scores, as well as a grade level analysis, for all grade schools in Charles County, Maryland during the 1973-1974 academic year. (Author/BJG)

The National Assessment Governing Board has recognized the need to study associated policy and technical issues to ensure that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is ready to do the best job possible if called on to confirm the results of state achievement testing under the No Child Left Behind Act. This report describes the…

The ABC Accountability Plan in North Carolina elementary and middle schools focuses primarily on the average growth shown by groups of students on end-of-grade reading and mathematics tests. Average test results for a group of students at the end of a year are compared to scores for the same students at the end of the prior year. Two levels of…

Delaware students must meet world-class standards if they are to be competitive and successful in a global economy. To prepare students for their future, schools must support rigorous standards and each teacher must set high expectations. Students must also commit themselves to the achievement of excellence. Any system that hopes to accomplish…