For test scores to be used to appropriately inform decision-making, and for the associated academic practice opportunities afforded during testing to benefit students, it is critical that students put forth sufficient effort and engagement during testing sessions. Existing research highlights that a substantial proportion of students may disengage…

The importance of student assessment, particularly for summative purposes, has increased greatly over the past thirty years. At the same time, emphasis on including all students in assessment programs has also increased. Assessment programs, whether they are large-scale, district-based, or teacher developed, have traditionally attempted to assess…

This edited volume covers the range of critical trends in the use of computers and other devices for classroom teaching, online learning, professional development, school improvement, and student assessment. "Spotlight on Technology in Education" draws on expert sources including teacher-leaders, librarians, researchers, and trainers who…

Examination of the history of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) program and the College Board can inform the current debate about testing by shedding light on admission and access issues that have been addressed by the program over the years. It has strived to balance consistency with the flexibility to adapt testing to new knowledge about…

Testing has almost completely lost its identity as a device to increase access to college for the underprivileged. Testing today is seen as a device to deny access. Intelligence is randomly distributed among the rich and the poor, and testing helps remove privilege as a guarantee of success and advancement. (MLW)

A comparison of the reading skills assessment programs at three community colleges in Virginia and New Jersey is presented as part of an examination of the kinds of placement decisions that are made from assessment test data. Introductory comments focus on the controversy surrounding the growing emphasis on skills assessment in open-door community…

Since 1959, ACT has collected and reported data on students' academic readiness for college. Because becoming ready for college is a process that occurs throughout elementary and secondary education, measuring academic performance over time in the context of college readiness provides meaningful and compelling information about the college…

This conference report provides a summary of the activities and outcomes of the second Student Success Strategies Conference, which sought to further facilitate the development of community college action plans in the areas of access, assessment, and intervention in ensuring student success. Following introductory information on the conference, an…

Advanced placement (AP) tests in the United States are one of the best examples of home-grown high standards, but only a few students participate in them. Increasing student access to AP examinations offers a ready-made approach to high standards that can be expanded easily. (SLD)

This packet of materials provides information on the development of a Student Success Plan at Treasure Valley Community College in Oregon. The packet includes the following: (1) an outline of the steps involved in developing a plan to ensure student success through activities related to student access, assessment, and intervention; (2) results of…

Compares Malawi's study center system of secondary education, involving community centers, distance education institutions, radio programs, and self-instructional materials, with traditional secondary schools with regard to cost, access, full-examination passes, and subject passes. Finds that study centers increase access to second-level education…

Kenya's secondary school curriculum includes a total of 68 different subjects; a core curriculum has yet to be implemented. The Certificate of Primary Education and the Kenya Certificate of Education are used to select those few students who may continue to secondary education, higher education, and employment. (GDC)

This is the 2011 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). This Yearbook contains five parts. Part I, Invited Chapters, includes: (1) NCPEA President's Message, 2011 (Gary W. Kinsey); (2) Shadows and Images II (Lloyd Duvall); and (3) Micropolitics in the School: Teacher Leaders' Use of Political Skill…

In July 1986, a colloquium was convened to develop a position paper on access, assessment, and developmental education. This colloquium report contains the keynote speeches presented at the event, along with a statement developed by the participants regarding the issues. First, introductory material describes the purposes, sponsorship, and group…

Three aspects of student assessment are addressed in this collection of essays: accountability issues and the political tensions that they reflect; assessment practices, the use and misuse of testing, and emerging directions; and the impact of assessment. The collection includes: (1) "Expansion, Quality, and Testing in American…