In response to standardized test scores that did not accurately reflect student learning, Franklin Lower Elementary School in Meadville, Mississippi, began a process of restructuring to become a developmentally appropriate school by using hands-on materials, focusing on whole language, and emphasizing the development of thinking skills. To…

At the root of the performance assessment movement is fairly widespread dissatisfaction with high-stakes multiple-choice tests. Many critics of multiple-choice tests argue that to improve instruction, tests themselves will have to improve. Hundreds of schools around the country are already experimenting with performance assessments, and many…

The contents of the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of 76 students with mild disabilities in grades 4 and 8 were compared to nationally and locally defined standards for mathematics. The contents of the National Assessment of Educational Progress proficiency levels, local standards, and IEPs were categorized using a taxonomy with the…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various academic subjects. The 1996 NAEP in mathematics assessed the current level of mathematical achievement as a mechanism for informing education reform. In 1996, 44…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various academic subjects. The 1996 NAEP in mathematics assessed the current level of mathematical achievement as a mechanism for informing education reform. In 1996, 44…

For 1989, the ninth year of standardized norm-referenced achievement testing mandated by the Arizona State Legislature, the Arizona State Board of Education adopted the Riverside Basic Skills Assessment Program (RBSAP). According to the RBSAP, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are administered to students in grades 1 through 8, and the Tests of…

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…

Two Computers Unlimited elementary magnet schools have completed their first year of operation as part of the Long-Range Magnet School Plan in the Kansas City School District. The curriculum for the Computers Unlimited theme emphasizes basic skills, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. This formative evaluation report addresses the…

The Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) program was designed to study what happens when "tomorrow's" educational resources, such as individual computer support, are available in the classroom. Student achievement and attitudes were evaluated at five elementary school and secondary school sites located in four states and encompassing…

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…

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) commissioned 12 experts in the vocational training (VT) systems of the individual member states of the European Community (EC) to develop monographs describing the EC members' VT systems and procedures/systems for certifying vocational qualifications. The 12 national studies…

The effects of standardized testing on instruction were studied in two school districts with high-stakes testing. The present study was part of a larger research project concerned with the effect of testing on instruction and student learning. A total of 360 teachers in grades 3, 5, and 6 in approximately 100 schools in two districts answered a…

English and Spanish versions of a guide to testing reform are presented. The guide explains alternatives to standardized testing for educational assessment and shows how these new methods of evaluation will improve education. Standardized tests are used for an increasing number of purposes in the school system, but there is no proof that their use…

Item response theoretic methods are applied to the measurement of achievement of students from various instructional backgrounds. This extended item response theory (IRT) approach serves as a tool for studying instructional bias, or instructional sensitivity. The model maintains the form of an IRT model, but has parameters that quantify the extent…

This study was conducted to determine whether the symbolic form of achievement test items influences student performance and whether teachers' use of different symbolic forms during instruction influences estimates of student achievement. The analyses conducted to examine these issues used student achievement test data and teacher responses to…