This final edition focuses on two global issues that encompass most, if not all, of the topics explored in previous issues. With an emphasis on academic success for all children, the authors look at a method of universally designed assessment developed by the Kentucky Department of Education and based on the tenets of universal design for…

This EdSource report maps out the history and status of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and addresses key issues surrounding the exam. It explains, for example, that the state superintendent has rejected postponing the exam or offering alternatives--a stance shared by many state leaders. But several lawsuits have been filed claiming…

Both public and non-public school educators are aware that courts, over the last several decades, have played an increasingly significant role in defining school policy. Decisions in such areas as school desegregation, prayer, public school financing, student rights, collective bargaining, and other personnel issues attest to the extent and…

This document consists of articles 1 through 39 published in the electronic journal "Education Policy Analysis Archives" for the year 2003. (SLD)

High stakes testing is associated with controversy and dialogue in this era of calls for accountability on the part of educators, and the controversy has been strengthened by the national testing plans included in the Leave No Child Behind Act (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001). A look at the literature on high stakes testing and…

One Midwestern state has chosen a model of state assessment in which local school districts are responsible for developing the strategies to measure and report their students' performance on state-adopted content standards. When students are not measured on common instruments, district accountability becomes an added challenge. This paper presents…

This briefing paper discusses academic accommodations for high school students with disabilities. It begins by reviewing provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that require Individualized Education Programs to include a statement of the program modifications or supports that will be provided for the child to enable the…

Terry High School is one of three schools in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, Texas, serving students in grades 9 through 12. Because of low student achievement on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the faculty and administration selected PLATO Learning, Inc. computer assisted instruction programs as the primary…

The Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) is a mandated statewide assessment program that targets four core content areas. English language arts, including reading and writing, and mathematics are given to students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10; science and social studies are given to students in grades 4, 6, 8, and 11. The DSTP reading and…

The Office of National Drug Control policy has put together this guide to assist educators, parents, and community leaders in determining whether student drug testing is appropriate for their schools. The aim is to provide anyone considering a drug-testing program in his or her community with a broad understanding of the issue and solid,…

Our research question was whether we could develop a feasible technique, using Bayesian networks, to diagnose gaps in student knowledge. Thirty-four college-age participants completed tasks designed to measure conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving skills related to circuit analysis. A Bayesian network was used to model…

National Board Certification is a voluntary process established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to measure what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. Certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes between one and three years to complete. As of November 2004,…

This directory provides 6,140 listings of resources in learning disabilities. Resources include publications, programs, state services, instructional materials, videotape recordings, films, periodicals, tests, schools, professional texts, conferences, and government agencies. Listings are grouped into 20 chapters that cover: (1) adult literacy;…

This article demonstrates the sometimes compromised techniques involved in data collection and their subsequent reporting capabilities. To illustrate this point, a joint venture between the community colleges of Missouri, the Coordinating Board of Higher Education, and a national testing corporation completed a project assessing student outcomes.…

This videotape contains a series of presentations by Benjamin D. Wright of the University of Chicago about the Rasch model and measurement in testing. The first presentation is excerpts from a workshop held in 1974 for educators from the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education. Dr. Wright's lectures were part of a…