In the Connecticut School Effectiveness Project, data are collected on seven characteristics of effective schooling: safe and orderly environment, clear school mission, instructional leadership, high expectations, opportunity to learn and time on task, frequent monitoring of student progress, and home-school relations. These data are collected…

This paper presents two examples of how methodological research in testing and evaluation simultaneously served the needs of both researchers and practitioners. The first example focuses on Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) research in writing assessment. This research investigated issues in domain definition, cognitive processing…

The Visiting Team Guidelines for Evaluation of Pennsylvania School Districts was prepared as a companion document for the three Pennsylvania Educational Needs Assessment Self-Study Guides for elementary schools, middle/junior high schools, and secondary schools. The purpose of these guidelines is to assist personnel of the school district and…

This report summarizes the findings, issues, and lessons learned from the Developing National Public Library and Statewide Network Statistics and Performance Measures study conducted between January 1999 and August 2000. The overall goal of the study was to develop a core set of national statistics and performance measures that librarians,…

In recent years, parents have benefited from a significant expansion of educational options for their children. Parents have many more opportunities than just a few years ago to choose from an array of public school options, including charter, virtual, and magnet schools. Expanding educational options for parents is one of the hallmarks of the…

This state master plan provides a structure to facilitate the development of an appropriate and effective education system for all students in Utah, including those at risk of dropping out and of failing to achieve literacy. The challenges of ensuring an appropriate and effective education for each student are significant, numerous, and complex;…

In the Louisiana Basic Skills Testing (BST) program, initiated in 1982, criterion-referenced tests of language arts and mathematics were administered to all second grade students. Longitudinal data over three years tracked four cohorts of students to address when retention appears to be most effective and whether a combination of repeated…

This study examined the relationship between student performance in language arts and mathematics following state-funded remedial services addressing identified deficient skills and variables selected to represent potential additional instruction in these same skills: participation in Chapter 1, participation in special education, and retention in…

This paper reports on the investigation of the operation of the Teacher of the Year Award program in 28 states. It focuses on the method of selection for recipients of this award, and explores the nature of the judging process used in selecting candidates at both the state and national levels. Specific objectives are: (1) to determine the criteria…

Minimum competency testing (MCT) programs for students are growing in popularity and being adopted by many states. In order to determine the extent of the MCT movement, researchers at North Carolina State University surveyed state departments of education in all 50 states. In updating these data for 1986-1987, it was found that 64 percent of the…

During the 1978-79 school year, 27,058 students were involved in the Minnesota Educational Assessment in Mathematics at three grade levels. Eighth graders were tested in the fall, fourth graders in the winter, and eleventh graders in the spring. The first chapter of this report presents a general overview of the assessment program. Chapter two…

Several of the major considerations involved in implementing a statewide testing program are discussed. The test results provide information which influences the educational enterprise in matters of curriculum, instruction, guidance, and accountability. Tests to be used in an assessment program must be developed by the administering agency when…

Results from the 1979 Minnesota Computer Literacy Assessment show that eighth- and eleventh-grade females perform better than males in some specific areas of programing, i.e., those that involve problem analysis and algorithmic application where the problems are expressed verbally rather than mathematically. (Author/LRW)

This monograph reviews issues in research on the effects of using accommodations for students with disabilities who are included in educational assessments, particularly state and district assessments. Following an introductory overview, a section provides background on the need for good research on accommodations. The paper then defines commonly…

This study reports on the extent to which pharmacological and behavioral consequences were applied to behavior problems within a population of 31,000 adults in New York's developmental services system. Findings indicated that these consequences were significantly related to variables of intellectual level, residential setting type, type and extent…