States are increasingly interested in including measures of student achievement growth, or "value- added," in evaluating teachers. Annual state assessments, however, which are the typical measure of student growth, usually cover only reading and math teachers and only in grades 4-8. These state assessments thus cannot …

States and school districts are exploring alternatives to state tests for measuring teachers' contributions to student learning. One approach applies statistical value-added methods to alternative student assessments such as commercially available tests and end-of course tests. The evidence suggests that these methods can reliably distinguish…

After surveying 1,827 students in their final year at eighty randomly selected two-year and four-year public and private institutions, American Institutes for Research (2006) reported that approximately 30 percent of students in two-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in four-year institutions have only basic quantitative…

The goal of the "Closing the Achievement Gap for 21st Century Learners in West Virginia (CAG)" report, 3rd edition, is to update West Virginia educators to the status and improvement of student achievement in West Virginia which may then be utilized as a basis for determining future educational decisions. In order to enhance the quality…

The components of academic advising and the educational benefits to students are outlined and ways in which the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program can help are examined. The ACT Assessment Program is designed for use by students planning to enter postsecondary education and provides a base of information about freshman advisees. The…

A variety of approaches to student outcomes in higher education are described and an essay on the topic is included in this bulletin. In the essay, "The Campus as a Learning Environment," Douglas Heath suggests the significance of such projects for liberal education in the broadest sense. The following programs are discussed:…