This report examines trends in student achievement for public school students using both state assessment data and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Recent trends on state assessments from 2004-05 through 2006-07 are examined in 30 states that had consistent assessments in place over this period and longer-term trends on the…

Global economic transformations have never been as dramatic as in the twentieth century. Most countries have experienced radical changes in the standards of income per capita, technology, fertility, mortality, income inequality and the extent of democracy in the course of the past century. It is the goal of many disciplines--economics, history,…

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has developed standards for parent and family involvement in education in conjunction with the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education and in keeping with the National Education Goals of 1990. These standards are research-based and grounded in sound educational philosophy and practical…

This paper addresses the educational, technical, legal, and practical challenges states must confront as they consider the content of the assessment, its technical quality, the capacity of educators and the public to use the results of the assessment, the benefits and additional complications of performance testing, and the overall tension betwen…

This document suggests the following eight model indicators of quality in adult education programs: (1) learners demonstrate progress toward attainment of basic skills and competencies that support their educational needs; (2) learners advance in the program or complete program requirements that allow them to continue their education or training;…

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been working with federal and state agencies to facilitate and enhance the collection and use of data on educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The purpose of this document is to present a model of: (1) early childhood outcomes at age 3, where outcomes are defined as the results…

As part of its response to the current emphasis on educational reform and accountability, the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been working with federal and state agencies to facilitate and enhance the collection and use of data on educational outcomes for students with disabilities. In doing so, it has taken an inclusive…

Six papers discuss the Louisiana School Effectiveness and Assistance Pilot (SEAP) program, an ongoing 3-year research project associated with a legislatively mandated school and district accountability program. In three phases, the project joins school indicators, school effectiveness, and school improvement initiatives. The following papers are…

This monograph identifies appropriate quantitative indicators of educational effectiveness and efficiency, and discusses how such indicators should be used to assess education at multiple levels of the system. It focuses on the practical aspects of introducing effectiveness and efficiency concepts/measures into the deliberations of educational…

Based on a literature review, this paper proposes an approach to identifying indicators of learning for English composition courses at the college level. Section 1 provides a rationale for using curricular artifacts as a means to identify indicators. Section 2 describes the proposed taxonomy of model indicators and its framework which uses the…

This fold-out chart provides information about educational achievement in New Mexico for 1988-89. Demographic and educational indicators are summarized for the 88 school districts with over 292,450 students in 633 public schools in the state. The New Mexico Assessment System measures student achievement in language arts, social studies, science,…

The renewed attention to assessments that attempt to capture complex aspects of educational attainments of students is explored. The definition and impetus for attention of the measurement community to higher order thinking skills are examined. Through a detailed description, a model assessment development process is presented. The process relies…

A 5-year review of the impact of South Carolina's comprehensive reform legislation, the Education Improvement Act of 1984 (EIA), is presented. Throughout the report, comparisons of EIA program productivity in 1989 with pre-EIA performance are displayed in short program summaries, 33 graphs, and 14 tables. The EIA targeted seven major areas for…

This guide is designed to assist those readers of "The Condition of Education" and similar reports who may lack experience or confidence in reading and understanding statistical information. It serves four purposes (1) identifies and describes the principal features of statistical tables and charts; (2) presents a few illustrations of…

The process of developing a state education indicators system using the model proposed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is described. The CCSSO model has three components--indicators of educational outcomes; indicators of school policies and practices; and indicators of contextual factors, or state characteristics. The goal is…