The American Federation of Teachers' basic concept of testing includes the idea that public education remains accountable to the public for its actions and that standardized tests are one measure of educational performance. (Author/CM)

A school and community must state their goals for students and then, avoiding the use of commerical tests, design a means of evaluation to determine if those goals have been met. (Author/JM)

Presents a litany of flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act that adversely affect low-income and minority students. Urges a new federal law that truly promotes high-quality schooling supported by fair assessments and accountability. (Contains 24 references.) (MLF)

Examines international assessments, like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, and what they can tell about how well Canadian students perform relative to other participating jurisdictions and how well jurisdictions do on different assessments at different points in time. Discusses uses of international comparisons to inform…

In this article, the author offers a new vision of assessment that has the potential of bringing about remarkable gains in student achievement. The time has come to take advantage of the new understanding of the potential of assessment and to fundamentally rethink the relationship between assessment practices and effective schools in the United…

This is the fourth edition of the State Student Assessment Database. This document tabulates information about each state's assessment programs based on a survey mailed to state directors of assessment in October 1995 and completed by all 50 states by February 1996. The survey was divided into the following categories: (1) general concerns; (2)…

Describes some forces that have shaped current attitudes toward evaluation of education, presents five guidelines to help in discussions of assessment, and charges teachers with the responsibility of making evaluation effective. (DF)

With the passage of "No Child Left Behind" in 2001, schools are expected to provide a standards-based curriculum for students to attain math and reading proficiency and demonstrate progress each year. "NCLB" requires more frequent student testing with publicly reported results in an effort to close the achievement gap and to inform parents,…

Providing clear and timely information will be a key to holding public support for the improvements the No Child Left Behind Act promises. To have an impact, this information needs to be presented on the publics terms. This report contains data on recent public opinion about education issues, gathered from several polls conducted by national…

This book explores the practice of testing. Two postulates are assumed: that student assessment should improve performance, rather than just monitoring it, and that testing should be only a small facet of assessment. The first chapter, "Introduction: Assessment and the Morality of Testing," considers what assessment is and how it differs from…

Whether increasing reliance on policy-driven assessment for accountability and control of educational institutions is actually sabotaging long-term goals and purposes of the schools is explored, questioning whether current practices of high-stakes testing are anathema to real education values. The distinction between policy-driven assessment and…

Proposed an accountably model that addresses the challenges of allowing school districts to choose the specific strategies they use to measure student performance and evaluated this model using data from multiple sources for all school districts in Florida. Findings identify three strategies that would be useful for this type of accountability…

The use of performance assessments in accountability programs is discussed. Performance assessments have the potential to measure important objectives not easily measured by multiple-choice tests. Nevertheless, they are not suitable for every purpose, and their use should not be oversold. Many psychometric issues remain to be resolved. (SLD)

Penetrates polarized rhetoric to examine four currently debated questions about high-stakes testing. Reframes certain questions: How can we provide instruction enabling students to score well on such tests without narrowing the curriculum? How can we restructure schools to help all children reach high standards? How can assessments be made more…

The various ways that standards and standards-based education are being addressed around the United States are described. The education community can trace the start of the modern standards movement to the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983 (National Commission on Excellence). The first education summit in 1987 then became a…