This study clarifies achievement trends that occurred under NCLB and explains why NCLB reporting practices made those trends so hard to see. It concludes by describing important contributions that new PARCC exams can make and warns of new reporting problems that threaten to squander those contributions before they see the light of day.

Argues that the urban counselor has to be prepared and become acutely aware of the functions that take place in the desegregated school. The urban counselor's allegiance must go out to all students and participate totally in a changing and progressing educational systems. Makes suggestions and recommendations which should be considered by…

The structure and power of certain reading, mathematics, and psychological tests prevent educators from really seeing children and how they think. Furthermore, the curriculum has been corrupted into nothing more than practice for the tests. Adults rarely ask children what their thinking was. This drill-and-kill approach reveals little truth about…

Describes how the author prepares students for the test using genre study and problem-solving strategies. Notes how she struggles with questions about the role that tests play in schools and in children's lives. Notes the importance of teaching students how to take the test, but recognizes it has become more important to help them understand the…

The Selected Marker Tests were examined for scoring problems and internal consistency and were administered orally to sixth and seventh graders. Scoring problems were discovered and changes were suggested. The problem was found to be item reliability rather than interrater reliability. (Author/MH)

In discussing the problems of evaluating Canadian bilingual immersion programs, six related aspects are separately considered: (1) the research design, (2) the students tested, (3) the nature of the tests used, (4) the methods of analysis employed, and (5) the interpretation of findings. (Author/SJL)

The reason for Navajo children's poor performance on tests of language ability may be related more to inappropriate teaching and testing techniques than to language deficits. (MKM)

A follow-up study examined 12 children who demonstrated stress in the period leading up to or during administration of standard assessment tasks (SATs). Findings indicate that for some children who tend to be sensitive or anxious, the SATs may push them beyond a level of stress that is manageable or acceptable. (Contains 1 reference.) (CR)

A teacher describes the frustrations of an intelligent, learning-disabled fourth-grader who cannot pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System despite standard academic accommodations. The teacher advocates development of alternative or "nonstandard" accommodations and tests that assess students' spatial, problem-solving, and…

Describes experiences of two elementary math teachers, whose dynamic, hands-on teaching techniques were at odds with components of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). Despite these teachers' successful efforts, the new Commonwealth Accountability and Testing System (CATS) replacing KIRIS will not contain portfolios. (12…

Analysis of comparisons of subtest scores of 76 students (grades two - six) on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests revealed that, although correlations for the total group were highly significant in both comparisons, a grade level analysis demonstrated wide variability in results. (CL)

A discussion of the influences of impulsivity on test performance is presented, along with suggested procedures for ascertaining more accurately the cognitive abilities of impulsive children. (Author)

Differences in 164 fifth grade students' reading comprehension scores were obtained with four different tasks typically used to measure comprehension (multiple choice, recall, cloze, and maze), using four different reading passages that were equated according to readability formulas. Data analyses revealed significant effects for passage, task,…

Ten suggestions are offered for managing disruptive behavior so that optimal test performance is elicited from children (ages 2-12), including: establish rules and teach a ready position; provide praise; give effective instructions; use rewards; time breaks carefully; use active ignoring and redirection; use choice statements; and maintain…