This publication is a distillation of the most salient, most often repeated observations and recommendations of Maryland teacher-test scorers on their experiences scoring student responses to the Maryland School Performance Assessment (MSPAP) test in 1994. Feedback is organized into perceptions about what would be pertinent to share with other…

This report deals with a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Policymakers, researchers, and other users of assessment results need to understand the methods used for reporting NAEP. Having a reference is particularly important as the methods of…

This book presents the full array of assessment methods available to the classroom teacher in an interesting and engaging format, broadens the preservice and inservice teacher's understanding of related assessment issues, and places assessment in a meaningful context. The text, which was developed for an introductory course in classroom…

The handbook reviews approximately 150 educational tests and their uses within the total process of educational assessment for students who have academic difficulty because of mental retardation; learning disabilities; physical handicaps; emotional, sensory, and social disorders; other health impairments; and related problems. Introductory…

This module is one in a series of four performance-based modules developed to prepare vocational educators to serve limited English proficient (LEP) students. It discusses the intake process and the purpose and importance of assessing LEP students for both English and native language proficiency and vocational interest and aptitude. The module is…

This study is an analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) School Questionnaire administered across three grade levels (grades 4, 8, and 12) during the 1987-88 school year. The data obtained from the school questionnaire represent one level of NAEP's data collection activities, in addition to the teacher questionnaires and…

This manual contains the statistics generated from the Pennsylvania Quality Education Assessment (QEA) administered in 1986. The assessment was to evaluate the achievement of certain educational objectives in grades 4, 6, 7, 9, and 11 in the public schools. The tests were in the following areas: reading comprehension, writing skills, mathematics,…

This research examined student demographic (gender, ethnicity, grades, and previous home economics experience) and geographic (rural/urban school locale and individual school) factors that may be related to performance on a statewide New Mexico achievement test under development in the home economics subject matter area of consumer education and…

To determine if a relationship can be found between school size and academic achievement, a study examined correlations for 566 New Mexico public schools (grades 5, 8, and 11) from 1978 to 1981. The measure of academic achievement used was the schools' average "total scale score" on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. The two…

The primary purpose of the Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of 4th, 5th, and 10th grade students in South Carolina public schools. The results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process at the State, district, and school levels. For the third consecutive year, Form U of the Comprehensive…

In 1983 the Maryland State Department of Public Education (MSDE) issued a request for proposals for "The Development of the Score Reporting System for the Maryland Functional Testing Program." The MSDE called for a literature review, a national survey, a statewide survey of user needs and capabilities, an assessment of the state's report…

This handbook is a guide to the "Test Development Notebook" of the System for Pupil and Program Evaluation and Development (SPPED). It describes the contents and organization of the notebook, suggests various uses of the exercises, provides sample test designs, outlines test production procedures, and offers guidelines for score…

Concern was expressed for the possible effects of testing Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I students with norm-referenced tests that may be so difficult that many students will have scores in the chance range. The likelihood of such students obtaining equal scaled scores if they were tested with easier out-of-level tests was…

The reduction of data collected as part of the Carroll County, Georgia, Competency Based Teacher Certification Project is discussed. Data were collected on more than 1800 students in 59 classrooms (grades 1 - 12) during the 1974-75 school year. Data collected on teachers and students were reduced to classroom-level indices so that process-product…

One of the priorities of Florida's educational system is helping all students acquire the basic skills necessary to perform the reading, writing, and mathematics tasks required by everyday living. The Florida Statewide Assessment Program provides information on the effectiveness of the state, each district, and each school in achieving this goal…