This descriptive report examines the strategies of the six Southeast Region states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) to improve high school graduation rates and student achievement and to increase the number of students leaving high school with the skills and knowledge necessary for the twenty-first…

This document tabulates extensive and detailed information about the assessment programs of each state. It is the third edition of the database and remains the single best source for information about the student assessments that states conduct. The database is compiled from a survey completed by state directors of assessment. The first section of…

The proposal by the Louisiana State Superintendent of Education that non-public schools use a new public high school examination for graduation is described as an unwarranted regulation that threatens the pursuit of excellence and scholarship in private education. The proposed state exit examination is considered to be intrusive and inconsistent…

This report presents the Austin (Texas) Independent School District's 1985 test results on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS). It was administered to all third, fifth, and ninth grade students and to high school students not meeting ninth grade state-set mastery criteria, the minimum competency requirement for graduation. Results are…

The Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) required that all students who graduated in 1985-86 and previous years have skills in reading and mathematics equivalent to ninth-grade level or above. Special education students who could not be validly tested were exempted from the requirements. Students who had not met the requirements could…

Describes the process the teaching staff of one college went through in developing an exit examination and standards for their English 101 course, and states that students are writing better and that the instructors are better teachers of writing because of it. (CRH)

The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), established in 1999, requires all high school students beginning with the class of 2004 to pass the CAHSEE to earn a high school diploma. A study was conducted in a large urban school district in central California of the first year of implementation of CAHSEE. The study gathered evidence about…

This digest is designed to provide information to Texas testing coordinators, other educators, and interested citizens about the development procedures and technical attributes of the state-mandated criterion-referenced assessment program. The chapters are: (1) "Background"; (2) "Test Development"; (3) "Test…

South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) assesses basic skills in reading, mathematics, writing, and science for grades 3, 6, 8, and 10 (exit examination). In 1998, the tests were administered statewide in April. This report provides 3 years of data on percentages of students meeting state standards. The data are reported by…

What are some remediation programs for students who do not pass high stakes exit exams? Regardless of one's personal beliefs about high stakes exit exams, 52% of all high school students in the United States who are in public schools will be required to take and pass an exit exam. Nationally, these tests are gaining momentum. In most cases,…

A study of the success of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students on an institutional exit exam showed that ESL students are twice as likely as native English speakers to fail the exam although they compensate by passing the appeal. The findings suggest that portfolio assessment may be more valid for judging ESL students' writing. (Contains 25…

State and local officials are slowly untangling complicated webs of accountability, testing, and graduation policies, hoping to give thousands of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina a better handle on their academic standing. While officials in Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama offered some guidance to such students, school leaders in…

This article deals with the report, entitled "State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform", that addressed the achievement gaps that exist for minority and English language learner (ELL) populations. In this article, the author shows how Hispanics and ELLs lag behind Caucasians in terms of passing percentage in different subject areas. The…

The purpose of this study was to determine if a high school graduation examination influences instructional practices. Data were obtained from a survey instrument given to a stratified random sample of Tennessee science teachers who teach the content that is tested on their state's high school graduation examination. An analysis showed teachers…

The transition to adult life for students with reading and writing challenges is an area that is not often addressed. The purpose of this article is to relate the informal assessment process to the broader context of high stakes assessment, high school exit exams, diploma options, and transition planning; identify the competencies needed for a…