According to the Committee on the Foundations of Educational Assessment, traditional educational assessment does a reasonable job of measuring knowledge of basic facts, procedures and proficiency of an area of the curriculum. However, the traditional approach fails to capture the breadth and richness of knowledge and cognition. Such a concern…

A main goal of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is to close gaps in test scores between different groups of students while raising achievement for all groups. Of particular concern are the persistent achievement gaps between African American, Latino, and Native American students and their white and Asian counterparts, and between students from…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

This year the Center on Education Policy analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps between…

In response to a legislative requirement, Redlands Community College (RCC) initiated a requirement in 1991 for students to take the Assessment of Skills for Successful Entry and Transfer (ASSET) test. The only exemptions were for those students enrolling in fewer than 6 hours of classes and not taking either English Composition or a college-level…

Educational testing is at a decisive moment, as the issue of standardized testing has become one of the most hotly debated education issues of the decade. The accuracy and relevance of standardized tests have been questioned by many researchers, evidenced in the 20-year report of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. There is general…

In spring 1992, a mid-term assessment of English 10 students was conducted at Golden West College, in California, in order to compare four course placement methods. English 10, "Writing Essentials," is a nontransferrable course which focuses on paragraph writing and grammar review in order to prepare students for entry into English 100.…

The Indiana State Board of Education's 1984 legislative program focuses on seven broad aspects of education. Concerning early childhood education, section 1 recommends the expansion of Project Primetime (a program reducing the size of kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade classes) and the establishment of an incentive system encouraging…

An academic characteristics profile database for freshmen at the Pennsylvania State University is briefly described. The database was constructed through the Freshman Testing, Counseling, and Advising Program (FTCAP), which is designed to assist new freshmen in evaluating their educational plans by providing them, prior to initial registration, a…

This paper discusses the content of the social studies tests of the 1981-82 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Selected social studies and citizenship items were administered to 3,200 students aged 9, 13, and 17 and to adults aged 26-35. Twelve sources describing the social studies tests were reviewed, particularly the Citizenship…

To assist in the development of policies to eliminate the subtle inequities which inhibit the mathematics achievement of many Black youths, it is suggested that the redesign of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment study Black students' opportunity to learn mathematics. Recommendations for the redesign of…

The academic achievement and attrition of high school equivalency students attending Brandon University, a small undergraduate Canadian university, were studied, as were the students' reactions to college life. The students, who received a high school equivalency certificate after completing the Tests of General Educational Development (GED), were…

Persistence rates and College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) passing rates are the two outcome measures most often used to assess success at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). A study was conducted to examine these two measures for comparative groups of students whose performance on the basic skills assessment measure ranged from passing no…

This collection of essays focuses on contemporary issues for two-year college education related to instruction, students, and faculty. The following essays are included: (1) "Entrance Testing at Community Colleges," by Patricia McElroy; (2) "Academic Advising in the Community College," by Ann Houpt; (3) "New Jersey Community College General…

Education should not be thought of as being confined within traditional, formal education, but as embracing all learning processes and activities. Formal and informal systems of learning have specific roles to play within the educational process, while maintaining close cooperative linkages with each other. In other words, education is a lifelong…