The second International Assessment of Educational Progress focused on the mathematics and science achievement of 13-year-olds. Performance assessments were used as part of the overall assessment in four countries (England, Scotland, Soviet Union, and Taiwan) and five Canadian provinces. The performance assessment approach drew heavily on the…

The 1992-93 school year was the second year of the implementation of the Vermont assessment program. Evaluation of the 1991-92 year yielded mixed results, with some evidence that the assessment program was having a strong impact on instruction, but other indications that the reliability of the portfolio scoring in both writing and mathematics was…

The University of Louisville (Kentucky) adopted a policy of using American College Test (ACT) scores and high school grades as admission criteria, while allowing students who did not qualify an opportunity to demonstrate their actual level of preparation through additional testing and an interview. This study of 508 minimum admission applicants…

This paper highlights measurement issues faced when attempting to assess and interpret results of a school improvement project. Based on the assumption that to measure effectiveness, one must measure a wide variety of school factors, the paper presents a broad perspective on measurement problems and dilemmas in analyzing norm-referenced test data…

First in a series, the monograph provides a detailed description of the variety of data collected concerning student achievement and attendance during a 1980-1983 evaluation of Indian Education Act Title IV Part A programs. Data included the results of standardized achievement tests; anecdotal evidence from parents, project staff, and others;…

In light of the correlation between musical and linguistic skills, a program of musical activities was designed to promote discrimination of rhythmic and melodic elements and the association of auditory stimuli with visual stimuli and motor activities. The effects of the program on the vocabulary of preschool children were evaluated and compared…

The purpose of this study was to compare the use of WebQuests with traditional instruction. Specifically, the study examined the end-of-unit exam scores for students who completed a WebQuest on the Texas Revolution and those students completing a poster activity. Both of the instructional activities were implemented as additional enhancement to…

The author describes a Technologically Enhanced Language Learning program in Venezuela and how it helped improve high school EFL instruction. The author presents six challenges of teaching EFL and describes the context for the program. The author then provides a rationale for using multimedia in language teaching, based on theoretical frameworks.…

The administration of the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in the Trenton (New Jersey) School District and the impact of a voluntary summer tutorial program on HSPT scores were examined. New Jersey requires that all ninth graders take the HSPT, and that all school districts achieve a 75 percent passing rate to become state-certified. The same…

A study examined how pragmatic form influences evaluation of student essays in university placement testing. Specifically, the study documented how patterns in students' use of information (assumed to be either old, inferable, or new for readers) affected the holistic scores for quality given to the essays. Subjects, 99 randomly selected entering…

This package contains articles in three general areas: items covering measurement topics; brief and practical guides on measurement techniques; and professional reading on broader assessment issues. The purpose of these publications by "Set" is to provide research information to teachers. The initial article, "Overview of Issues in…

This report is the fifth year and last evaluation of the Title VII Bilingual Computer Literacy Project for San Elizario Independent School District, Texas. Several points in the fourth year evaluation focused on the need for the computer assisted instruction (CAI) project to obtain and maintain community and parent involvement and to secure and…

In 1990, a study was conducted at Florida's Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) to identify institutional factors that predict pass rates on the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). Statewide results of the October 1989 administration of the CLAST were used for the study, including the scores of all students who indicated that they had…

A survey was conducted among 489 public colleges in the Southern Regional Education Board states to determine cutting scores for placing students into regular versus remedial college classes. Results indicated a large number and variety of tests in reading, writing, and mathematics--almost 100 combinations of 70 different tests--were used to place…

Since 1971, nearly four million adults have qualified for a high school equivalency credential based on General Educational Development (GED) test results. During Spring 1980 two major studies were undertaken by the GED Testing Service: (1) the U.S. High School Norming Study involving the administration of the GED Tests to a representative sample…