Redefining the federal government's role in kindergarten through grade 12 education, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is designed to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. The act is based on four principles, the first of which is stronger accountability for results, entailing creation of…

In the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is administered to all third grade students each year. The ITBS, which is one of the assessments used as a screening tool for the Academically Gifted Program, was given to approximately 7,700 third graders in 2000. The ITBS can be given as a…

There have always been tests, but there have never before been so many! It is natural for parents and concerned citizens to wonder what is motivating this increase and to examine the many reasons why. Ever since there have been schools, teachers have used tests of various kinds to find out how well students are learning and if their instruction…

This book presents the writings of education experts who were asked to reflect on the 20th century, and then predict what educators could expect in the years ahead. For example, the 21st century will likely see new instructional models that attempt to integrate three areas of knowledge: experimental research on instruction, what is known from…

This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and in writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections in one subject, and the assessment will…

This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections for one subject, and the assessment will…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Writing Assessment measured student writing performance at the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades. Scoring guides for three different writing purposes for each grade allowed scorers to objectively evaluate students' work. This issue of NAEPfacts includes an 8th-grade informative writing scoring…

This document contains the results of a standard setting conducted between August 2 and August 12, 1999, on the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) Mathematics, Reading, and Writing subtests at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. At the standard setting, judges were asked to recommend only the cut point between "Below the Standard" and…

This brief examines educational progress in the United States from 1992-2000 in such key areas as standards and accountability, student performance, closing the achievement gap, technology, and increased access to higher education. This progress was measured in the context of key initiatives that helped the nation's schools and students to make…

This report examines the academic performance of New York City's Catholic elementary schools compared with the city's public schools. Catholic elementary schools enroll 98,000 children in New York City, approximately 14 percent of public school enrollment. The report uses data from the State of New York's fourth and eighth grade tests in English…

The Accelerated Schools Approach is a whole-school reform being implemented in more than 1,000 U.S. elementary and middle schools. The program is characterized by a school structure that sets high expectations for students and teachers, a governance structure with broad teacher participation, and a "powerful learning" approach to…

This paper describes the use of the microcomputer electronic spreadsheet in various ways in a school district, including the management of the standardized testing program. The sections of the paper include: "Microcomputer Electronic Spreadsheet Structure", "Macro Instruction Sets", "Student Information", "Faculty Information", "Administrative…

This question and answer sheet describes the legislative background of current accountability requirements for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs, the issues involved in testing level gain, and critical questions whose answers can lead the field forward. It focuses on the following: what the legislation requires; how states are meeting…

This chapter outlines the purpose of testing and assessment, focusing on uses, and highlights some of the limitations of all forms of testing. The concept of testing is one of the major contributions of the field of psychology to society. Carefully developed tests, when used wisely, provide valuable information for decision makers in educational,…

This book reports teaching practices in mathematics in seven countries from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 video study. A detailed description of the methods in the mathematics portion of the study is presented in an accompanying technical report from an international perspective. Contexts of the lessons, the…