The Portland Board of Education had requested that the Oregon Central Evaluation Department provide student achievement data so as to allow comparisons with other school districts by reporting national grade level equivalent (GLE) scores on standardized tests of reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8. For years, the position of most research…

This paper considers the design and analysis of feeding back information about achievement test results to teachers and students in a high school classroom. An introductory section discusses the designing and administering of tests throughout the year in such a fashion as to provide pre-instruction, post-instruction, and retention achievement…

This paper traces the history of the College Entrance Examination Board from its beginnings through its operations in 1966. Using materials drawn from various published and unpublished sources both of the Board and of the Educational Testing Service, summary accounts of objectives, formats, manner of administration, scoring, and critical…

This issue of the IRCD Bulletin comprises Part I of the Report of the Commission on Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board, and a review of the recommendations made by the Commission. The Commission addressed itself to the question, "What can schools do to increase the readiness of students for further education, and what can colleges do…

The major elements of a test interpretation model which would assist school personnel in presenting standardized test information to the public are presented. The model is a prototype based upon the testing program used in the Oakland, California Public Schools. An outline and sequence of the test score presentation are suggested, including notes…

A summary of the educational assessment activities (as of early 1971) in each of the fifty states and District of Columbia is given. Information was gathered through interviews held in each state by staff members of ETS. Similarities in the activities of many states include the setting of statewide educational goals, application of a…

The two major purposes of this study are: (1) To provide local school officials with information regarding the performance on basic skills achievement of each student who took the 1970-71 Michigan Educational Assessment Battery, and (2) To provide local officials with information that will assist them in understanding and interpreting their…

The method of utilizing a criterion-referenced testing system by employing the following progression of curriculum development is recommended: 1) A theory of childhood development or learning is identified; 2) Curriculum is developed based upon that theory; 3) Criterion-referenced tests, with items stated in behavioral terms, are developed. An…

This report is comprised of two reports: the Final Audit Report of the Hawaii English Project, submitted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, and the main report, the Hawaii English Program Project End Evaluation Report by the Hawaii English Project Staff. The Audit Report is limited to a review of data reduction, analysis, and…

CATTS is a computerized service providing question-answer exercises from a subject content file for specific courses, building successive lessons from the file based on each student's immediately previous performance. The text of the file may correlate with textbooks, diagrams, workbooks and supplementary material. Student files include subject,…

This report provides state-by-state information on the characteristics and performance of schools and students in each state, information useful for monitoring the progress and evaluating the success of education reforms. The report contains two-page profiles that report the same indicators for each state and the District of Columbia. The…

John J. Cannell's late 1980s "Lake Wobegon" reports suggested widespread deliberate educator manipulation of norm-referenced standardized test (NRT) administrations and results, resulting in artificial test score gains. The Cannell studies have been referenced in education research since, but as evidence that high stakes (and not cheating or lax…

Nearly every state has adopted or is in the process of adopting content and performance standards for education. This guide summarizes some of the lessons learned in developing standards. It also provides tips and strategies from early leaders in standards development to help educators and policymakers who are working on new forms of assessment.…

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of gender and ethnic differences in science and mathematics achievement of fifth graders, taking into account student ability, item response format, and strands of learning outcomes. Subjects were 2,551 fifth graders from a large urban area in Ohio. The Ohio Off-Grade Proficiency Test was used.…

Beginning in Spring 1998, Virginia students participated in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments designed to test student knowledge of the content and skills specified in the state's standards. This document contains questions that students were required to answer as part of the SOL End-of-Course assessments. These questions are…