The North Carolina End of Course (EOC) tests were initiated in response to legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly--the North Carolina Elementary and Secondary Reform Act of 1984. This act mandates the implementation of the Basic Education Program through the establishment of a core curriculum for all students for each content…

States are under pressure to meet NCLB's demands in part because they depend on Title I funding. It represents a small but meaningful percentage of the education budget (about 3% in California). Some state officials object to the strong conditions placed on a relatively modest sum of money. A handful of states have even considered foregoing the…

A study examined the alignment between state standards and assessments in elementary reading. The impetus for the study was a request by the National Research Council's Committee on Title I Testing and Assessment for information on the extent to which students' performance on state assessments could be assumed to provide evidence of their level of…

This issue of the National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) newsletter includes an article titled "Assessment and Accountability: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going?" and a profile of Inaam Mansoor, director of the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Arlington, Virginia. Also included are resource updates, news…

Developing a community of people interested in improving student reading achievement is an ongoing trend in education. Time and effort need to be put forth to become engaged in studying and promoting reading achievement. With high stakes state-mandated testing, it becomes even more important for teachers, school administrators, and the lay public…

An experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of the variables "realism" and "context" on the performance of biology students on a visual test about the anatomy of a rat. The instruction was primarily visual with additional verbal information like Latin names and practical information about the learning task: dissecting a rat to gain…

The effectiveness of notes provided students in two formats was studied. Students received either a completed set of notes or a partially completed set, with approximately half the information left blank. The study was also designed to investigate the effect of test taking conditions, whether immediate (shortly after the study session) or delayed…

The Social Studies Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) was designed to be administered in three sessions, two of which use items specifically developed for Missouri from Missouri teachers and one of which uses selected portions of the nationally normed Terra Nova Test, developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill. Anchor papers for constructed-response items were…

This brochure is intended to help teachers and parents prepare students for the North Carolina Open-Ended Assessments (in reading and mathematics) given at grades 4 and 8. The brochure states that teachers in grades 2-5 can use the information to prepare students for the open-ended assessments. This particular brochure focuses primarily on the…

With the increased focus on standards-based education, more and more states, districts and school are becoming interested in standards-based grading and report cards. Hawaii, for example, is a state that is working hard on its "Standards Implementation Design" (SID), including standards-based report cards. As a component of Maine's Local…

Two experiments were designed to distinquish between interpretations of extinction based on stimulus variation and interpretations based on secondary reinforcement. (Author)

Specific proposals for improving listening skills. (CH)

Results of two multiple choice tests on mechanics administered to eighth grade students are discussed and reported by their respective teachers. (JH)

Intended for parents of handicapped children, the article describes tests used to evaluate brain functioning. (DB)

These results suggest that knowledge of a criterion group may not consistently alter the test performance of persons from minority groups. (Author)