A variety of explanations for the decline of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores over the past several years are examined. Studies undertaken by the College Board indicate that the SAT score decline has not eroded the test's validity, that the decline is not an artificial by-product of score-equating techniques, and that it is not to any…

The Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Score Decline contends that many factors have contributed to the drop in scores on the SAT and many other tests. The research evidence and theory about three social motives that could be expected to play some role in test performance and academic functioning are examined: the motives for…

In this discussion of the use of achievement tests in evaluating Title I programs, matching content between test and curriculum is the main theme. The point is made that unless a test measures what is taught, it cannot be sensitive to whatever gains the instruction produces. Thus, if different instructional treatments have different objectives, it…

This material provides a discussion of the construction and analysis of tests prepared for classroom use by teachers. The initial discussion is concerned with the purposes of evaluation and the specification of objectives. This is followed by an examination of theoretical and practical considerations in planning a test. The material on test item…

This journal, the first in a new series of publications, consists of guides to instructional materials and articles on subjects of interest to teachers in bilingual education programs. The following articles and regular features appear in this issue: (1) Publications of the National Dissemination and Assessment Center, Los Angeles, a list of…

Based on the data provided by the American College Testing Program (ACT), this report summarizes the characteristics of the 12,196 Illinois community college freshmen who took the ACT examination in Fall 1979. The summary focuses on: (1) the average ACT scores of the community college students on the English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and…

A procedure is demonstrated for constructing tables showing, for each score on a commercial reading achievement test, the percentage of real-world materials that the testee is likely to comprehend with at least a criterion level of proficiency, the percentages of students in a local or national sample who can competently comprehend a given…

Retention is defined as when a student is required to repeat the grade in which they were enrolled the previous year. This report provides important information on statewide student grade retention statistics, including retention data by grade level, race/ethnicity, gender, in special education status, limited English proficiency status, and…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Passes Budget Resolution: Prospects of a Compromise with the Senate Appear Dim; (2) Older Students' Science…

Preliminary research into the populations of public urban four year higher education institutions indicates that race/ethnicity and Verbal SAT scores may be acting as proxies for immigration status and the use of a home language other than English. There are indications of differences in the behavior of immigrant/ other language students that may…

This report presents results for the first trial school-district-level science assessment in NAEP at grades 4 and 8. Ten urban public-school districts voluntarily participated: Atlanta City, Austin Independent School District, Boston School District, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, City of Chicago School District 299, Cleveland City School…

Evidence is clear that urban high poverty public schools are failing to meet the educational needs of its students, particularly students of color. The present study examines the effectiveness of two types of high poverty parochial schools for 354 African American middle school students. Results show that alternative middle schools, known as…

Articles are included on such issues as the following: heritage languages; the psychology of language; the Voice of America broadcasts; dual language programs; linguistic autobiography in the language classroom; pronunciation; electronic education; dialects; world languages; bilingual education; language travel; language structure; conceptual…

The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest public school system in the United States, and one of the largest organizations of any kind in the country. As with urban school systems across the country, the Los Angeles school district is under enormous pressure to improve. The district is under public scrutiny and is the subject of…

Developed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET) team, the O*NET[TM] Career Exploration Tools (Version 3.0) consist of three main parts: (1) the Interest Profiler; (2) the Work Importance Locator; and (3) the O*NET[TM] Occupations Combined List. The Interest Profiler is a self-assessment career exploration tool…