Many states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which emphasize "deeper learning" skills, such as mastery of core academic content, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. But can the new tests being developed to align with the CCSS be used to promote deeper learning and high-quality classroom instruction?…

The Hewlett Foundation commissioned RAND to review research about the effects of assessment and to summarize what is known about assessment as a lever for reform. To explore the likely influence of new assessments on teaching practice and the conditions that moderate that relationship, researchers conducted a series of literature reviews. The…

Standardized tests are an education reality and an important accountability consideration in most states and school systems. Most states require standardized assessments to meet requirements of the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001. Changes to curriculum and instruction and to the school culture frequently occur through a school…

School districts looking for ways to minimize summer learning loss have implemented a variety of programs to combat this problem. Since No Child Left Behind and the need for school districts to meet the goals of Adequate Yearly Progress, it is no longer enough to limit summer learning loss. Now school leaders find it necessary to use the summer…

In spring 2009, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) continued its research on the impact of test-based federal and state accountability policies by conducting case studies of six high schools in six different districts within Washington State. The purpose was to learn more about the curricular and instructional changes that administrators and…

On January 23, 1976, the Saskatchewan Department of Education distributed to schools, school boards and other interested groups and individuals some 1,800 copies of the report of the Minister's Advisory Committee on Student Evaluation. Discusses the findings of that report. (Author/RK)

Standards-based reform activity dominated K-12 education during the 1990s, reflecting a consensus that improving learning requires state-level curricular standards and examinations. Opponents argue state-imposed standards and tests overly burden districts, degrade teaching and learning, suffer from numerous technical problems, and have failed to…

Describes the use of the Northwest Evaluation Association's Achievement Level Test for Reading as an assessment tool in an elementary school to measure student progress in reading. Discusses interpreting scores across grade levels; computerized versions; linking test items to new curriculum; reducing reading class size; and the role of technology.…

Specified procedures for evaluating materials during their in-context tryout are presented. These procedures deal with all possible causes of system failures that have been identified in the in-classroom tryout of new materials. Therefore, methods for identifying, controlling, and monitoring all factors that affect academic behavior in the…

The first section of this paper on educational standards considers the nature of the school curriculum as the shaper and delimiter of what is demanded of students. Debates over the desirability of a common or core curriculum for secondary schools as opposed to different programs are discussed. Demands for traditional academic disciplines and for…

During the 1975-76 school year the Nystrom Map and Globe Study Skills Program was pilot tested by approximately 1,400 students in three elementary schools in Spokane, Washington. The program is a continuous progress program based upon a series of sequential instructional objectives. Major objectives of the program were to help students develop…

Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), school leaders have been locked in a continuing struggle to comply with it. Unrelenting student testing, revisions to class schedules, required disclosures, teacher-quality issues, and requirements for supplemental services are straining every sector of school district operations.…

This report covers the 1974-1975 extension of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title VII Milwaukee Bilingual Education Program which began as a five-year project in September 1969. The program was initiated to develop a bilingual curriculum for schools with Spanish-American populations. Federal legislation, which supports the…

This book is intended to help early childhood practitioners develop the essential understanding they require for appropriate use of assessment and evaluation information and to illuminate many of the issues involved in formal and informal assessment and evaluation. The chapters are: (1) "Assessment and Evaluation in the Early Childhood…

Emphasizes the importance of providing some curriculum aspects in which students experience a sense of ownership. Compares the English National Curriculum with a national assessment instrument to determine which instructional methods are preferred. Speculates on potential routes into higher education for secondary students. (CFR)