The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is one of the world's leading educational research centres. ACER's mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span. This annual report describes ACER's milestones and accomplishments for the 2013-2014…

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…

As universities become more invested in assessment and outcomes, department chairs and deans increasingly are asked to figure out why some departments score well on tests, and others dismally low. In this article, the author sets out some guidelines and processes for examining test score data, in order to save time for faculty members and…

This paper discusses the conflict created by two trends in education--the push for a multicultural curriculum and for accountability. Proponents of multicultural education argue that national standardized tests fail to tap diverse students' knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Approaches for reframing the paradox--diverse assessment,…

Changes in Scotland's curriculum have led to changes in student testing. A system of grade-related criteria has been developed--descriptions of expected performance in key aspects of a subject at different grade levels. (GDC)

A series of short courses was presented on various aspects of curriculum practice to enable teachers to review and reconsider established practices, to acquire knowledge of recent and impending developments, and to gain experience in the techniques involved. This collection of rewritten versions of lectures given at these classes is divided into…

Discusses platform unity, or aligning curriculum content with appropriate test types. Presents findings from a survey of 30 Virginia community college faculty, indicating that the faculty did not plan and test content congruently, tended to overtest content, and were effective but not efficient in test selection. (25 citations) (AJL)

Clearly defined goals are described as the first component of a program evaluation. The goals of this booklet are: to demonstrate the need for clearly written statements of goals, outcomes, and objectives; to provide examples; to provide a method of deriving goals from already published materials; to demonstrate the relationship between writing…

Discusses early feminist efforts in psychological assessment, and reviews general issues related to feminist methodology. Successful impact and lack of impact of feminist criticism are illustrated by the revisions of the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (1990), respectively. (SLD)

Following a description of how the political climate in the 1960s through the 1980s influenced education, this document discusses the effects of districtwide curriculum standardization on Burr Oaks Elementary School in the midwestern village of Burr Oaks. The school's community setting, use of curriculum guides, and initial use of curriculum…

This report reviews existing research on the effects of high stakes tests on students, particularly students with disabilities. The review focuses on potential effects on the curriculum, student learning, attitudes and school climate, and the costs versus benefits of high stakes testing of students with disabilities. Results indicate that research…

High school instructors need to focus on engagement, not just motivation to inspire student learning. Based on the author's experience working with the toughest students, at-risk kids, struggling students, and drop outs, this book offers teachers strategies that work to harness students' interests and creativity. This book includes techniques and…

The first section of the guide contains the text of two speeches dealing with the current challenges of career education and the school counselor, presented at the 1972 New Jersey Regional Career Education Conferences. The second and larger section contains a variety of materials resulting from a series of conferences in 1973 aimed at developing…

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…

A variety of approaches to student outcomes in higher education are described and an essay on the topic is included in this bulletin. In the essay, "The Campus as a Learning Environment," Douglas Heath suggests the significance of such projects for liberal education in the broadest sense. The following programs are discussed:…