Argues that the publication of "A Nation at Risk" politicized education and established an environment in which the state imposed a common curriculum on everyone. Emphasizes that this is detrimental as it transfers curriculum control to the state and that teachers then teach to the tests, which become the curriculum. (NL)

The validity and reliability of some measures of general education outcomes of college attendance are reviewed. Research to improve the accuracy of concordance estimates of mean gains is reported, based on analysis of 22 4-year longitudinal studies using instruments from the College Outcome Measures Program. (SLD)

In comparing the annual growth of low-achieving students and high-achieving students who remain at the same percentile rank, educators must choose between the properties of developmental standard scores and grade equivalents. The growth patterns for grade equivalent scores may be more reasonable than those for standard score scales. (SLD)

The effects of using item response theory (IRT) ability estimates based on customized tests formed by selecting areas from a nationally standardized achievement test were examined. For some populations, in some conditions, IRT ability estimates can be equivalent to scores based on full-length tests. (SLD)

Describes a study of basic skills testing in mathematics and reading. Examines the relationships between mathematics course performance and class standing, gender, age, transfer status, and math Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) scores; and reading course performance and verbal SAT, Nelson Denny Reading Test, and Degrees of Reading Power Test…

Reports on a preliminary study of cognitive style and performance of 182 secondary students on the British General Certificate of Secondary Education. Finds that students who tested at an intermediate position on both dimensions of the Wholist-Analytic cognitive style measure did best on the test. (CFR)

Philosophical and theoretical debates have created some uncertain direction in the curriculum field. The article claims that efforts toward systematic curriculum reform may fail because of inconsistency, maintaining that effective curricular and systematic reform will occur when stakeholders agree on intended goals and identify actions that…

A study of 50 elementary age Mexican-American, learning-disabled children and their parents was undertaken to determine whether sociocultural factors contribute to achievement test scores as they do to intelligence scores. Sociocultural variance reflecting family acculturation level is found to be related to achievement test performance. (24…

Measures of survival skills, locus of control, study skills, achievement test scores, and grade point average for 86 students (ages 11-15) with behavioral disorders were analyzed to identify the correlates and predictors of their academic achievement. Overall, student achievement test performance was correlated with organizational skills and an…

Jacqueline Fleming, author of "Blacks in College," discusses the meaning of cultural diversity, African-American student achievement at historically black and predominantly white colleges, assisting underprepared minority students, educational climates for success, African-American and white students' experiences of college, fear of success among…

Forty children (ages 9-12) identified as having dyslexia on the basis of intelligence and achievement tests were evaluated. Results imply that a test of phonological sensitivity and another of nonsense word decoding identified children who were dysphonetic. Nondysphonetic disabled readers were older and had higher verbal intelligence quotients…

Examined 6 widely used grade-8 standardized tests for content, required processes, and level to determine their alignment with the 5-8 NCTM "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards." Concluded that these tests inadequately covered the 5-8 standards. A follow-up study examined items from newly developed and foreign tests to demonstrate the…

A questionnaire about the effects of standardized testing and the meaning of scores and score gains was completed by 341 upper elementary school teachers. Teachers of lower socioeconomic status (SES) students appear to be under greater pressure to improve scores and focus on test content than teachers in higher SES schools. (SLD)

Discusses the time, personnel, resources, and aids needed to support six phases of institutional assessment: clarifying the assessment object and context, designing the assessment, collecting and analyzing data, communicating findings, using findings, and evaluating the assessment. (DMM)

Stresses the importance of faculty ownership of the assessment process. Discusses factors underlying faculty resistance to assessment and ways institutional leaders can minimize resistance. Challenges administrators to create an institutional environment where teaching, learning, and student achievement of expected learning outcomes are high…