This paper provides information about Alabama High School Graduation Exam, 3rd Edition, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Increase alignment of local curriculum…

This paper provides information about Ohio Graduation Test, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Measure the level of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies skill expected at the end of 10th grade; (2) Ensure that students achieve a passing score as a condition of granting a diploma; (3)…

This paper provides information about South Carolina's High School Assessment Program. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Demonstrate students' achievement based on selected South Carolina academic standards; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform educational policy decisions; and (3) Meet a…

The authors first examine the effect of failing the 10th grade mathematics examination. They then investigate students who fail their 10th grade test, examining their persistence and success on retests. Finally, they examine the effects of student performance on the 8th grade mathematics test. In all cases, the authors pay particular attention to…

This article examines the influence of keyboarding versus handwriting in a high-stakes writing assessment. Conclusions are based on data collected from a pilot project to move Old Dominion University's Exit Exam of Writing Proficiency from a handwritten format into a dual-option format (i.e., the students may choose to handwrite or keyboard the…

This profile describes traditional assessment practices in Armenia--many of which are typical of those formerly practised throughout the Soviet Union--and the ongoing efforts to reform formal examinations and school-based evaluation techniques. The extraordinarily high stakes associated with the examination currently used to select applicants for…

As the twenty-first century opens, says Robert Balfanz, the United States is developing a deep social consensus that American high schools should ensure that all adolescents graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary schooling and training. Balfanz asks how well high schools are succeeding in this mission and whether they can ultimately…

High schools spend incredible amounts of time and resources toward preparing students for high school exit exams. A predicament arises when some students continue failing the exam and are in danger of not receiving a high school diploma. This article describes 5 components of an exit exam remediation program through which to equip and empower…

This paper provides information about New Jersey's High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of selected content and overview foundation skills in math and literacy; (2) Encourage districts and schools to identify and serve students at risk of academic…

This paper provides information about Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform education policy decisions; (2) Increase alignment of local…

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared…

The classes of 2006 in California, Arizona, and Utah are those states' first that must pass high school exit exams to earn diplomas. Twenty-three states now have such exams. Maryland will require a graduation test for next year's class, and Washington state will do so for the class of 2008. In most states with such a requirement, students take the…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between HSAP scores and various measures of classroom achievement such as overall GPA, End Of Course Scores and SAT/ACT scores of Berea High School [BHS] students in the classes of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Methodology: The researcher collected the following data for random samples…

This study reports findings from an analysis of the 2002 Chinese National Physics Curriculum Guidelines and the alignment between the curriculum guidelines and two most recent provincial-level 12th-grade exit examinations in China. Both curriculum guidelines and test content were represented using two-dimensional matrices (i.e., topic by level of…

The comparability of examinations in different subjects has been a controversial topic for many years and a number of criticisms have been made of statistical approaches to estimating the "difficulties" of achieving particular grades in different subjects. This paper argues that if comparability is understood in terms of a linking…