The purposes of the survey described in this paper were to: (1) produce a database on state efforts to develop systems for assessing educational outcomes; (2) assess state needs for solutions to technical and implementation problems; (3) identify important state-level information and existing databases; and (4) assess efforts to design a…

This paper provides an overview of the use of "opportunity to learn" (OTL) standards, in relation to its implications for students with disabilities. It reviews "opportunity to learn" standards in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and in Congressional report language on Goals 2000. The paper offers five different definitions…

Each year the New Mexico State Department of Education and the state's 88 school districts publish report cards that provide information on the operation and performance of the schools and characteristics of its students. This report is the state-level report card, providing narrative and statistical information on an array of educational…

At one of a series of hearings on H.R. 6, the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1993, several experts discussed issues related to national assessment, assessment in Chapter 1, and state efforts to develop new forms of assessment. Eleanor Chelimsky, Assistant Comptroller General for Program Evaluation and Methodology of the General…

The role and influence of mandated testing in educational reform are reviewed. Mandated testing refers to large-scale (districtwide or statewide) multiple-choice testing programs used for policy purposes of evaluation and accountability, which includes nationally normed standardized achievement tests and tests custom-developed to reflect state and…

The role of statewide testing programs and the direction Pennsylvania should take in statewide educational assessment are discussed. The major purposes proposed for statewide testing programs are: (1) informing state policy; (2) curriculum reform; and (3) accountability. The ultimate purpose of statewide testing programs is to improve student…

An overview of educational reforms during the 1980s (1978-88) and their effects is presented for use by policy makers, practitioners, and interested citizens. The first section of this report, called "The Reforms of the 1980s", is based largely on a 50-state survey and a research report, both commissioned by the Educational Testing…

This report discusses the Quality Assurance Program at the OSU/WOSC School of Education, a merged school serving Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College. This major reform in teacher education is designed to bring a high level of accountability to teacher education and is called a "Warranty of First-Year Teachers." If,…

In this report, basic skills areas for three grade levels are covered, along with average grade equivalent scores on the California Achievement Tests for the 1981-1982 school year. Included are reading comprehension, language, and mathematics scores for grades 3, 5, and 8. The major findings from analyses of the statewide results indicate that…

In this report, basic skills areas for three grade levels are covered, along with average grade equivalent scores on the California Achievement Tests for the 1982-83 school year. Included are reading comprehension, language, and mathematics scores for grades 3, 5, and 8. The major findings from analyses of the statewide result indicate that the…

The effort to institute minimum competency testing (MCT) is nearly universal despite the need to debate its basic definitions, implications, and consequences beforehand. There are seven distinct reasons for the MCT movement: (1) legislative zeal; (2) unfavorable allegations by local and national press; (3) economic accountability; (4) the…

This publication contains the edited text of the proceedings of the September 1976 Conference on Education for Georgia Legislators. Addresses by 20 experts from Georgia and around the country are presented. The proceedings are intended to help legislators, educators, parents, and others interested in deeper insight into the issues of educational…

The annual report contains a narrative description of New York State's accomplishments in terms of the objectives of the fiscal year 1974 State Plan for the Administration of Occupational Education under the Vocational Education Amendments of 1968, as well as important statistical information concerning the status of occupational education in the…

General features of local and national programs for assessing achievements referencing the common instruction are discussed within a single mastery achievement testing framework. The envisioned programs differ only in informative detail. Most such differences are viewed as amenable to formalization and the basis for distinguishing between local…

In an attempt to explore alternatives to the use of standardized tests, the Maryland Alternative Accountability Pilot Project (MAAPP) was launched to allow each participating school to design and implement an accountability plan which would satisfy the requirements of the Maryland Educational Accountability Act. The MAAPP was evaluated using data…