This report presents district-by-district achievement data on 57 major city school systems in reading and mathematics. State assessment results were collected from state Web sites, reports, and databases. Data were analyzed by race/ethnicity when reported. Overall, the Great City Schools have made meaningful gains in math scores on state…

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Talent Development High School comprehensive reform model addresses low student achievement and poor school climate, blending a common core academic curriculum with career themes in the upper grades. It includes a separate Ninth Grade Success Academy with interdisciplinary teacher teams, ninth and tenth grade Career…

This study investigated the possible impacts of language and curriculum differences on the performance of test items by subpopulations of students. Focusing on Measurement and Geometry items completed by students in French- and English-language schools in Ontario made it possible to explore the differences and to compare the item response theory…

This report provides selected results from the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Iowa's public-school students at grade 4. Since 1992, reading has been assessed in four different years at the state level (at grade 4 in 1992 and 1994, and at both grades 4 and 8 in 1998 and 2002). Iowa participated in all of these…

This report provides selected results from the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Minnesota's public-school students at grade 4. Since 1992, reading has been assessed in four different years at the state level (at grade 4 in 1992 and 1994, and at both grades 4 and 8 in 1998 and 2002). Minnesota participated in all of these…

This report provides selected results from the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for American Samoa's public-school students at grade 8. Since 1992, reading has been assessed in four different years at the state level (at grade 4 in 1992 and 1994, and at both grades 4 and 8 in 1998 and 2002). American Samoa participated in…

This report explores changes in school policies and practices resulting from an externally mandated, high-stakes testing program. It is based on a study that investigated one Minnesota school district's transformation following the passage of a 1993 law mandating a results-oriented graduation rule. The paper outlines the role of testing programs…

During the 4-year period from 1995 to 1999, the mean mathematical and reading achievement scores of 11th graders at Slippery Rock Area High School (SRAHS) reflect a distinct decline. In the 1995-1996 school year, the SRAHS 11th grade standardized mathematics mean score was significantly higher than the Pennsylvania mean, as was the standardized…

Following the style of the 1958 original, this third edition of the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability is both a standardized attainment test and a diagnostic test for readers of all ages and thus can be used to assess reading progress objectively as well as to obtain structured diagnostic observations of an individual's reading behavior. It…

This paper reports on one Massachusetts teacher educator's work as a substitute teacher in local urban and suburban public schools. His goals were to assess diversity within today's classrooms, be better informed as a teacher educator, gain new clarity about teacher roles, understand the changing role of school administrators, and re-establish his…

Different kinds of tests are given to determine student achievement. Standardized achievement tests are often used, but have many limitations. They may be useful in determining the content students should learn and its relevance for future learning and the curriculum. Criterion referenced tests eliminate a major weakness of standardized tests in…

Alaska Goals 2000 is part of a coordinated, statewide effort to improve public education for all students in Alaska. In 1997-1998, 90% of Alaska's federal funding was used to fund grants to local school districts, and 10% was used to fund state-level activities through the Alaska Department of Education. During 1997-1998, curriculum frameworks and…

Since the publication of the highly influential "Coleman Report" of 1966, researchers have tried to find inputs, such as school quality, that are associated with student achievement on standardized tests, but have found little. This study finds an underlying association between Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and several measures of…

Florida law requires that students achieve a passing score on the Grade 10 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to qualify for a standard high school diploma (Section 1008.22(3)(c)5, Florida Statutes). Students who were administered the Grade 10 FCAT for the first time during the 2002 administrations or later must earn a developmental…

A decade ago intelligence testing was in its beginnings in the United States. There were no standardized tests available except those of the Binet-Simon scale. These tests had been used but little, and chiefly for the detection and classification of the backward and the feeble-minded. Goddard had just begun pioneer work in this field, while…