This study was conducted to analyze student background characteristics and educational history data that affect participation and performance of non-English language background students, including those with limited English proficiency, on Minnesota's Basic Standards Test. Data were obtained from individual student cumulative files in six schools…

This field memo is the third in a series of updates from the Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education to all teachers and administrators of public and nonpublic schools on standards and assessments in New York. This document explains how the New York State Education Department determines if test…

Students in grades 3 through 8 of the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) took the North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) multiple choice tests during May and June 1999. All EOG tests are designed to measure student achievement of knowledge and skills of the North Carolina standard course of study. The multiple choice tests are required in reading…

The New York State School Report Card is an important part of the effort to raise learning standards for all students. It is designed to provide information to the public on student performance and other measures of school and district performance. The 2000 report card has been changed to focus on measures of student progress on the new standards.…

This document contains the technical information for the 1998 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), Grade 4 Assessment for Reading, Mathematics, Listening, and Writing. It documents the technical quality of the assessment, including the evidence for the reliability and validity of test scores. The manual's chapters are: (1)…

Discusses a project demonstrating that standardized tests can be developed in vocational agriculture under certain conditions to serve a wide geographical area and a diversified agriculture. (HD)

Elaborated a theoretical rationale for relational networks, norms, and trust as structural and functional norms of social capital that facilitate student achievement. Results of hierarchical generalized linear modeling show that the odds of fourth graders passing state-mandated assessments are modestly increased in urban schools (n=49)…

Four articles on computer-assisted testing in schools at local and state levels are reviewed. Trends in the application of and limitations/advantages of microcomputerized testing packages are described. (SLD)

State and local policies for disseminating information to parents about statewide educational assessments were studied in a survey of 41 state program directors. Two studies in Michigan examined state policies in 201 districts and the degree to which 105 parents understood test results. Implications for information dissemination are discussed.…

A Southern Regional Education Board study has revealed widespread lack of proper training and certification for teachers at the middle school level in the South. A major recommendation is that states require teachers of middle-grade students to have special licensure. Some efforts in statewide testing and accreditation are targeting such problems.…

Uses focus group data (groups of 7, 12, 8, and 5) to examine how cross-subject matter groups of elementary and secondary New York state teachers respond to state-level testing as a way to change their classroom practices. The analyses highlight the nature of the tests, professional development for teachers, and the rationales for and consequences…

Summarizes recent developments in the use of technology in schools and state-level testing programs. Presents results of two studies, one with 114 students and one with about 200 students, that indicate that written tests administered on paper underestimate the achievement of students accustomed to working with computers. (SLD)

An analytic framework is presented for examining the properties and objectives of assessments and scoring systems piloted in a number of state and district testing programs. The article explores the application of this framework, which considers the cognitive components of competence described in studies of expertise, to the analysis of science…

Defines four essential elements of a system of educational standards: (1) common, rigorous student achievement standards; (2) state-administered assessments; (3) explicit rewards for achievement; and (4) opportunity to reach the standards. Practices to ensure these conditions and enact a system based on these elements are discussed. (SLD)

Provides a chronological summary of the evolution of statewide achievement tests in Texas to facilitate understanding of the issues behind the "GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency" litigation (1999), which challenged the curricular links of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills and other "opportunity to learn" issues. (SLD)