As the number of end of course (EOC) tests has increased along with an expansion of their role in accountability, development and implementation decisions are more important than ever. This process starts with articulating how the assessment fits into a credible theory of action that describes how all elements of the system will work together to…

The purpose of this report is to identify the most prominent issues in U.S. higher education and to develop strategic research plans to address the issues that are most relevant to ETS's capabilities in measurement and assessment through the ETS's higher education research initiative. In the United States, issues related to higher education such…

Computer skills objectives have been developed for the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). These items will be administered to a large number of American students aged 9, 13, and 17 in grades 3, 7, and 11. For this first national assessment of computer skills, it was necessary to consider the existing expertise of school…

The Prescriptive Mathematics Inventory (PMI)-Level B and a Pupil identification Form (PID) were administered to 22,055 sixth graders in Texas. Results from the PMI are reported in terms of the percentage of students marking the correct response for each of 209 objectives. Panels of mathematics teachers and of mathematics experts rated 40 of these…

The Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment data have consistently shown differences between rural, suburban, and urban schools in terms of performance on goal areas and on important background variables. The most consistent pattern has been demonstrated by achievement on cognitive measures. The analyses reported upon were conducted on the…

The major emphasis of the Kentucky Educational Assessment Program is to determine the actual level of performance of Kentucky pupils in relation to the desired levels of performance established in the 1972 report entitled "Goals of Education in Kentucky." The report was published by the Kentucky State Department of Education and contains…

A summary of the educational assessment activities (as of early 1971) in each of the fifty states and District of Columbia is given. Information was gathered through interviews held in each state by staff members of ETS. Similarities in the activities of many states include the setting of statewide educational goals, application of a…

State and school district testing activities involving basic reading competency requirements are discussed. The purposes of minimum competency testing in reading include the identification of students who need remedial assistance, and the evaluation of secondary school students regarding graduation requirements. Important considerations regarding…

Over the last 10 to 15 years, a variety of efforts to transform American high schools have gained both public and private support. Significant among these are initiatives to implement Small Learning Communities (SLCs), part of a larger school reform and restructuring effort designed to address a variety of goals, including "downsizing large…

The purpose of this report is to document the participation and performance trends over time for students with disabilities, progressing from school year 2001-02, a base year for determining AYP goals under NCLB, through school year 2004-05, the third year that states reported after the NCLB baseline year (VanGetson & Thurlow, 2007). Within…

As part of Utah's 1978 statewide assessment, a number of tests were administered to over 4,000 fifth grade students from 64 elementary schools and over 2,000 eleventh graders from thirty high schools. This report presents the results in each of the areas tested: (1) intellectual maturity--measured by reading and mathematics achievement on the…

Describes the development and testing of the North Carolina minimal competency testing program. (IRT)

This article presents the viewpoint that care must be taken to fit the specifics of a testing program to its intended purpose. Testing for diagnosing individual student learning and for school evaluation should not be confused. Statewide testing programs may provide evaluative information, but are inadequate sources of diagnostic information. (LMO)

In August 1998, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, adopted a goal statement that specified that by 2003, 95% of students tested would be at or above grade level as measured by the North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) tests at grades 3 and 8. This report defines that goal operationally and defines the terms used to describe…