In 1980, North Carolina's migrant education program adequately met legislative requirements and national program objectives; all local project evaluation reports indicated successful attainment of a majority of objectives. State priorities were met through implementation of approximately 60 projects conducted through local educational agencies.…

Reading and mathematics tests of the New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills Tests were modified to accomodate handicapped students, in order to determine whether or not students would perform better on the modified test forms. Changes were made in the format of the test booklets, answer sheets, and administration instructions to accomodate the following…

Over 6,000 sixth- and twelfth-grade students from 33 school districts in Kansas were tested in 13 areas of academic and non-academic skills: arts and humanities; communication; mathematics; career preparation; consumer preparation; environmental education; health; nutrition; preparation for a changing society; safety; self concept; science; and…

The validity of cut-off scores, used to place students into English and mathematics courses, and a dichotomized success variable, representing student abilities related to success in three sequential mathematics courses, were investigated. This study, examining the cutting scores of students entering Mercer County Community College in Fall, 1978,…

Factors influencing the performance of handicapped students on the North Carolina Minimum Competency Test (Fall, 1978 administration) were analyzed. Educably mentally handicapped (EMH) and learning disabled (LD) students represented 83% of the 3,043 handicapped students who took the Fall, 1978 test. A questionnaire was designed to collect the…

The conference's keynote address is presented by Bernard C. Watson. Papers include: Vantage from the State Department of Education, by Robert G. Scanlon (Pennsylvania); Minimum Competency: As the Public Sees the Question, by Jacqueline Grennan Wexler; Minimum Competency Testing (MCT): A Tripartite Response from the Profession, by W. James Popham;…

This manual is designed to accompany reports prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the 505 school districts in that state, summarizing results of the Educational Quality Assessment. The normative sample is described as being stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administrative procedures are summarized.…

The more commonly cited uses of state and local district assessment programs are addressed. The implications of seven proposed uses of state assessment data are reviewed point-by-point: (1) allocating state grants-in-aid to alleviate weaknesses in instructional programs; (2) designing instructional support programs for teachers; (3) developing…

This first report in the 1974-75 Michigan Educational Assessment Program presents the objectives of the assessment program and indicates in detail some of the specific procedures to be used. The program provides achievement measures for grades one, four, and seven. The measures at all three grades are objective-referenced tests constructed through…

In this report data obtained from the 1975-76 Delaware Educational Assessment Program is aggregated to the state level. Results are presented in two sections: (1) the status report section, and (2) the needs assessment section. The status report section presents state achievement outcomes and state norms at school and district levels for resource…

Technical questions regarding the reliability and validity of large-scale portfolio assessment were studied which focused on: (1) whether raters can score collections of writing reliably with rubrics designed for single samples; (2) whether ratings derived from different frameworks differ in their capacities to support technically sound…

This case study traces the evolution of curriculum-related educational reforms in California, concentrating on those that have influenced mathematics and science. These reform efforts are examined in the framework of the state's political and policy context. Data came from interviews, a synthesis of the research literature, and newspaper accounts…

The end-of-grade component of the North Carolina Testing Program was implemented in 1992-93 in response to state legislation. The end-of-grade tests emphasize higher-order thinking skills and the ability of students to solve real-life types of problems. These tests also reflect the higher standards set forth in national curriculum standards for…

The Texas Education Code requires the Commissioner of Education to develop and propose alternative methods of assessment for students who have not passed the exit level test. The goal of this requirement is an alternative mechanism by which a student can demonstrate the knowledge and skills measured by the exit level test and thus earn a high…

A prevailing assumption underlying statewide performance-based assessments is that they not only serve as motivators in improving student achievement and learning, they also encourage instructional strategies and techniques in the classroom that are more consistent with reform-oriented educational outcomes. Given these high expectations, more…