This report examines absenteeism and its relationship to performance on the California Achievement Tests (CAT) and the Graduation Exit Examinations (GEE) administered in the New Orleans (Louisiana) public schools in the spring of 1993. It also focuses on the need to report test data in a manner that more accurately reflects a district's…

This pair of studies investigated the psychometric adequacy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) with a population of 8,396 potentially gifted elementary children of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as diverse emotional and social environments. Study I showed subjects' profiles differed strikingly from…

The purpose and results of the state testing programs in Utah are described. At present there are seven major assessment programs conducted under the leadership of the Utah State Office of Education. These include the three components of the Core Assessment Program: Criterion-Referenced Tests and item pools, Writing Assessment, and the new…

Fulfilling a legislative mandate in 1984, Connecticut established mastery tests in mathematics and language arts (listening, reading, and writing skills) for grades 4, 6, and 8. Criterion-referenced tests were considered most appropriate for assessing achievement and determining individual remediation needs. The Grade 8 Mastery Test results for…

In the spring of 1989, over 2,000 pairs of fourth- and eighth-grade students were assessed on their ability to apply mathematical and scientific concepts. The tests (administered in alternate years during the written assessments of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program) required students to apply what they knew about mathematics and…

Sixty tables are presented, which examine the test achievement of a national probability sample of eighth graders in public and private schools. Statistics were obtained from the base-year student survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The NELS:88 monitors the transition of a national sample of young adults as they…

This anthology is the second volume of selected articles from the periodical Childhood Education. It includes 82 articles from 1964 to 1985 that represent many aspects of the child and the child's developmental environment. Articles by leaders in the field of childhood education, spokespersons in related fields, and teachers and parents are…

An Indiana project developed a model diagnostic basic skills testing program with statewide application for teachers certified under the Occupational Specialist Rules. Fifteen commercially produced tests were reviewed for adoption. The set of criteria that guided the selection process included technical aspects and application factors. The TABE…

This study's purpose was to explore the premise that increasing state support for elementary/secondary schools increases equal student access to educational opportunity. Following a brief overview of the background of the problem, including a description of the so-called "Minnesota Miracle" or Omnibus Tax Law of 1971 with its provisions…

The notion that South African public schools have a distinctively civic mission is recognised in all national education policy documents published since the first democratic election in 1994. The teaching of democratic citizenship education in public schools is a newcomer to South Africa. The purpose in this article is to summarise scholars' views…

The purpose of this national policy conference was to discuss key issues and policy options in the care and education of young children, and to identify policy recommendations. At the conference, 116 speakers shared their expertise with each other and an additional 300 participants from 38 states. Speakers and participants represented a broad…

This study evaluated Krell's 1981-82 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparatory series software purported to raise students' scores substantially after only a short term of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Forty-eight college-bound juniors from Escambia County (Florida) were assigned to experimental and control groups. A two-phased pre- and…

A study was conducted of the entry-level basic skills performance of all credit students enrolled at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) in fall 1989. The study examined demographic data and scores on the Comparative Guidance and Placement (CGP) Program Test, American College Testing (ACT) program exam, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Florida…

In September 1984, the Chinese government asked the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank to assist the officials of the Chinese Ministry of Education in thinking through some policy options for examinations and standardized testing. This document summarizes the descriptions of testing programs and advice provided to these Chinese…

Statewide results of South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) are provided in terms of the percentages of students meeting statewide performance standards in reading, mathematics, writing, and science. BSAP tests were administered statewide on April 23-27, 1990, in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8. The BSAP Exit Examination was administered…