This publication presents the reports from two studies, Math Online (MOL) and Writing Online (WOL), part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Technology-Based Assessment (TBA) project. Funded by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Technology-Based Assessment project is intended to explore the use of new…

This is the fifth annual edition of the Brown Center Report on American Education. It analyzes the difficulty of items on the math portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), examines the content training of middle school math teachers, and evaluates the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The NAEP assesses student performance…

This report provides a comprehensive summary of statistical data on the state of education in Alabama. It is divided into eight sections: (1) General school information (students, staffing); (2) State accountability (adequate yearly progress status, adequate yearly progress summary); (3) Student academic performance (Alabama reading and…

Given current high-stakes uses of tests, one of the most pressing and difficult problems confronting the field of measurement is to develop better methods for distinguishing between meaningful gains in performance and score inflation. This study explores the potential usefulness of adapting differential item functioning (DIF) techniques for this…

This supplement is designed to be used in conjunction with the elementary level educator's guide to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum. The "Educator's Guide" shows the components of the TEKS that are eligible for testing, and this supplement provides information about the types of passages, test items, and…

The results in this report, from the fifth administration of the grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 reading, mathematics, and writing portions of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP), represent an important step in Delawares efforts to educate all students to a higher level. Reading, mathematics, and writing data for grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 are…

This document reports on the performance of Scottish primary students in mathematics and science. Students scored below the international average in mathematics and are ranked in the lower half of the range of countries involved in the study. In science, students scored above the international average and are ranked in the middle. Sections…

Judgmental standard setting approaches rely on the perceptions of experts about examinee performance on a test. Traditional standard setting methods ask panelists to predict the probability that a randomly selected, hypothetical minimally competent candidate (MCC) will correctly answer test questions. Item performance predictions are difficult for…

This paper describes findings from two studies involving optional use of calculators on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) mathematical items. The first study looked at the effects of calculator use on estimates of item difficulty. The second study looked at the effect of calculator use on equating results from an anchor test design. Study 1,…

This document contains the results of a standard setting conducted between August 2 and August 12, 1999, on the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) Mathematics, Reading, and Writing subtests at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. At the standard setting, judges were asked to recommend only the cut point between "Below the Standard" and…

The goal of this series of guides is to show Texas educators what components of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum are eligible for testing on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and end-of-course tests. This elementary level guide contains information for subjects tested in grades 3 through 6. The sections are:…

The goal of this series of guides is to show Texas educators what components of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum are eligible for testing on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and end-of-course tests. This middle school guide contains information for subjects tested in grades 6 through 8. The sections are: (1)…

Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) students in grades 3 through 8 took the North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) multiple-choice tests during the months of May and June of 2002. These tests are the basis of the accountability program referred to as ABCs, Accountability, Basics, and Control. WCPSS EOG multiple-choice results for 2001-2002 show…

In 1998 it became apparent that support for state assessments in Spanish at the elementary level was waning in Colorado, and it was likely that only an English-language version would be available for the grade 5 mathematics assessment in 1999. A study was conducted to provide empirical results to inform decisions regarding language accommodations…

This study examined the generalizability and dependability of a performance-based assessment in algebra. Four forms of a five-item test were constructed using different subsets of eight items based on attributes from task analysis. Subjects included 142 "algebra 2" students from 2 high schools in the Midwestern United States and 148 11th…