The collaborative efforts of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory have resulted in the State Student Assessment Program (SSAP) database. Information is collected annually about student assessment programs in each state, both in the area of traditional testing and in nontraditional…

The impact of Kentucky state testing on educational practices in Kentucky public schools was investigated via a survey study. Randomly selected urban and nonurban teachers and principals (4 groups, N=180) throughout the state participated in the survey. Findings indicate that this state testing program has substantial impact on educational…

This paper addresses the educational, technical, legal, and practical challenges states must confront as they consider the content of the assessment, its technical quality, the capacity of educators and the public to use the results of the assessment, the benefits and additional complications of performance testing, and the overall tension betwen…

This booklet provides parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers with information about achievement testing which is relevant to their needs. The first section presents an overview of the current market for standardized achievement tests and provides key definitions, distinctions between ability and achievement testing, comparisons of…

The standards-based educational reform initiatives of the 1990's call for assessment innovations to support high standards. To document state assessment policies and to develop policy recommendations for assessment innovations, the George Washington University Center for Excellence and Equity in Education surveyed state assessment directors in…

This paper offers a scenario for how educational assessment might change in response to market forces that affect not only the future of large-scale testing but also society in general. The scenario divides into three generations distinguished by the purpose of testing, test format and content, and the extent to which testing capitalizes on new…

This document provides the following 13 conference papers: (1) "Introduction: Where Do We Go From Here?" (D. J. Bateson); (2) "The Context of Classroom Procedures in Evaluating Students" (R. J. Wilson); (3) "Student Evaluation in the Ungraded Primary School: The SCRP (Systematic Cumulative Record of Performance)…

In 1987, General Educational Development (GED) test passing score requirements were raised in Wisconsin. To study the effect, data were gathered from samples of 480 examinees each for 1986 and 1989 through site visits and follow-up surveys mailed to 900 of the 960 in the samples. Responses were received from 206 persons (37 percent). Chi-square…

Although minimum competency testing is increasingly popular, there is presently a paucity of information on teachers' and principals' use of and attitudes toward these testing programs. Therefore, a study examined the use and perceived impact of standardized reading tests in Puerto Rico and compared these results to the results of a similar study…

This paper examines long-range problems caused by test-controlled schooling. It looks at the demands of both curricular and accountability uses of tests from the point of view of the urban school district's testing office. On the basis of interviews with 12 New Orleans teachers and the experiences of the authors in working in two large city…

Since 1983 the Migrant Education Program Evaluation (MEPE) has collected data about migrant children in summer programs throughout the state of Illinois. Testing is done during the summer months with migrant students in grades 3, 5, and 7. Preliminary screening identifies students who are limited-English speakers, and they are excluded from…

This is the fifth in a series of six monographs developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. An organized plan facilitates the important task of reporting test results to the school board quickly and accurately. This monograph gives one approach that enables the staff to take the…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation's (CSE) Test Use Project (1979) has gathered information that is nationally representative and illustrative of the entire range of tests being administered. The primary intention of this phase of the ongoing study is to identify the direct and indirect costs of testing. The four papers included here offer…

This document presents more useful statewide testing as a rationale for a revision to the California Assessment Program (CAP). A brief description of the revision procedures, and an illustrative outline of the skills and concepts covered by CAP are included. Approximately 270 districts and counties participated in the test development process to…

This handbook contains suggestions for the use of results from the New Mexico High School Proficiencies Examination (NMHSPE) and describes procedures for developing programs and planning intervention strategies. The information and guidelines will facilitate administrative action for program improvement through integration of the NMHSPE results…