The problem is the perceived academic shortcomings of America's public schools because of high stakes testing that is expected to increase along with limited funds and resources. The purpose of this study was to find the benefits of the extracurricular activity that students are already participating in at Paramount High School. This is a…

Most states do not offer reciprocity for other state assessment tests. That practice has an adverse effect on school-aged, dependent children of military service members. President Clinton's 1997 solution was a national standardized assessment test for public school students. Critics stated it would cost $96,000,000 to deliver the test. Florida…

Current methods of combining multiple measures of student performance have been subjective and have lacked evidence of external validity. This study examined the use of predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) as a means of finding the best combination of variables to predict performance on a standards-based mathematics assessment. Data from 261…

Michigan's school finance reform aimed primarily to improve the equity in funding across school districts. Ten years later, policymakers are turning their attention to the adequacy of education--ensuring that schools provide a desired level of learning and the necessary resources to support student achievement. However, defining what is adequate…

The issue of high standards and high expectations for public school students has even reached the kindergarten level of instruction. The paper suggests that the informal readiness approach can be used with a more formal curriculum in order to prepare students for state mandated testing to ensure readiness for first grade. Many educators believe…

This document is a supplement to the Test Content Description for the Georgia High School Test in Science. The sample items are representative of items on the actual Georgia High School Tests. The strands (major areas) being tested are: (1) World Studies (18% to 20% of the test); (2) United States History since 1865 (18% to 20% of the test); (3)…

This brief addresses the benefits and concerns raised by the use of high stakes testing as the centerpiece of new accountability systems. It offers some recommendations for policymakers seeking to incorporate such tests into state accountability systems. High stakes tests can clarify and establish challenging performance expectations for students,…

Validity and reliability issues in standardized testing of students of limited English proficiency (LEP) were studied. Existing data from four different school sites were obtained for LEP and non-LEP students for three different standardized tests, the Stanford Achievement Tests (Ninth edition), the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and the Language…

This report summarizes results for the second administration of the State Grade 4 English Language Arts (ELA) assessment for New York City public schools in February 2000, comparing 2000 results with results from the 1999 administration of the Grade 4 ELA and from New York state overall and other cities nationwide. Performance of New York City's…

This paper uses data collected through focus group interviews over two years to explore the relationship between teachers and tests. In the first year of data collection, two focus groups were organized; one group was composed of 7 elementary school teachers and counselors and the other group was composed of 12 high school teachers. The…

This report, based on a survey completed by testing directors in states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), describes the status of online testing in SREB states. Overall, SREB states are paying limited attention to online testing. Only Virginia is moving systematically to implement online testing. By spring 2004, all…

Using aggregate data from the General Social Survey (GSS) 1974-96, Lynn (1998) claims that the black-white intelligence difference in the United States has not been narrowing over time. This study replicates Lynn's analysis and challenges his conclusion by identifying several methodological problems. By analyzing changes in black-white differences…

This report provides an overview of research designed to dispel myths about performance in high poverty and high minority schools. It identifies schools that have had high performance on a particular state assessment for at least 2 years in a row. The results are based on an analysis of high performance over multiple years in any of six possible…

This study evaluated the impact of an urban school district's English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program on 317 participating K-12 language minority students. The study used the Language Assessment Scale (LAS) to examine students' English proficiency after participating in the yearlong program. The LAS measures language skills necessary to succeed…

England's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are designed to raise standards for all pupils. Though the skills they address are basic and need to be built up throughout the primary years, at the early stage of implementing the strategies, many older pupils will not have reached the standards expected of Year 6 pupils in future years. This…