The use of accommodations is often recommended to remove barriers to academic testing among English Learners (ELs). However, it is unclear whether accommodations are particularly effective at improving ELs' test scores. A growing foundation of empirical work has explored this topic. We conducted a meta-analysis that examined several possible…

Nearly two dozen states now administer online exams. These tests have real consequences: their results feed into accountability systems, which have been used for more than a decade to hold schools and districts accountable for their students' learning. We examine the rollout of computer-based testing in Massachusetts over 2 years to investigate…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only continuing and nationally representative measure of trends in academic achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary school students in various subjects. For more than four decades, NAEP assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S.…

This report provides an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations as well as to identify promising future areas of research. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research published since 1999. We summarize the research to review current research trends and enhance understanding of the implications of accommodations use in the…

A report providing an update on the state of the research on testing accommodations as well as to identify promising future areas of research. Previous reports by NCEO have covered research published since 1999. NCEO summarizes the research to review current research trends and enhance understanding of the implications of accommodations use in the…

The success of all students, including students with disabilities, on statewide assessments in mathematics and reading/English language arts has been examined closely. This is due, in part, to the role of these content areas in school accountability for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB).…

In recent years, computer-based testing (CBT) has grown in popularity, is increasingly being implemented across the United States, and will likely become the primary mode for delivering tests in the future. Although CBT offers many advantages over traditional paper-and-pencil testing, assessment experts, researchers, practitioners, and users have…

The purpose of this handbook is to acquaint principals and teachers with the California Achievement Tests, mandated by the Maryland State Department of Education. Reports of the test results are also discussed. The first chapter describes the test and provides examples of question formats. A table of the objectives measured is also included. The…

An earlier study (D. Koretz, 1997) found that Kentucky had been unusually successful in testing most students with disabilities, but it also found numerous signs of poor measurement, including differential item functioning (DIF) in mathematics, apparently excessive use of accommodations, and implausibly high mean scores for some groups of students…

The topic of this paper is the second of a two-faceted problem involving achievement testing in the United States. The first facet is the lack of correspondence between test content and intended student outcomes in school districts, and the second facet is "test score pollution." Test score pollution describes instances where test scores for a…

Testing 1-2-3 is a general purpose testing system developed at the Computer-Based Education Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois for use on NovaNET computer-based education systems. The testing system can be used for: short, teacher-made quizzes, individualized examinations, computer managed instruction curriculum testing,…

Tips on improving student test scores fall into two categories: format training and environmental conditions. Environmental conditions include notifying parents of the test, emphasizing the importance of the test, and giving the test in familiar surroundings. Format training includes explaining multiple-choice options and answer sheets. (MLF)

A review of the research on item writing, item format, test instructions, and item readability indicated the importance of instrument structure in the interpretation of test data. The effect of failing to consider these areas on the content validity of achievement test scores is discussed. (Author/GK)

This paper addresses problems with performance on open-ended (i.e., not multiple choice) test questions administered on paper for students accustomed to writing with computers. The first section summarizes the results of three studies that examined differences between computer and paper-and-pencil test results. The second section identifies three…

This report is a review and analysis of the psychometric literature on the topic of out-of-level testing. Out-of-level testing refers to the practice of using a level of the test other than the test taken by most of the students in a student's current grade level. Much of the research on out-of-level testing was conducted in the 1970s and 1980s,…