High-stakes, standardized testing plays an important role in the lives of many students as they apply to college and compete for scholarships. In states where college readiness measures, like the ACT® test, are used for school and district accountability, the ACT scores of all students, whether college-bound or not, are a top priority for school…

Public schools stress the need for students to become informed and engaged citizens, however social studies instruction is becoming marginalized in many elementary schools today, the very area where they learn citizenship and about the world around them. This study seeks to: understand the reason for the loss of instructional time for social…

The utilization of the third grade achievement data reported by the California Assessment Program (CAP) to schools was studied. All elementary school principals in California were surveyed in 1979 regarding the uses they made of the report. Over 70 percent used their score reports to compare results across years looking for trends. Other common…

The impacts of the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) and the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) on curriculum, classroom instruction and assessment, professional development, and student learning were studied. Data sources were questionnaires completed by principals, mathematics teachers, and students from 90 elementary and…

This manual contains guidelines for administering the Alberta, Canada, Achievement Testing Program in June 1987. The tests are administered to all students in grades 3, 6, 9, who have not been granted special exemption. The first section of the booklet includes information on the Achievement Test schedule, exemptions from the Achievement Testing…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Florida elementary school administrators believe the state's testing program is taking public schools in the right direction. Questionnaire responses from principals and assistant principals show that the majority of administrators believe the testing program is not taking schools in the right…

The effects of Washington state education reforms on schools and classrooms were studied through surveys completed by about 150 elementary and middle school principals and about 400 writing and mathematics teachers in grades 4 and 7, the grades in which students take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) tests. The surveys asked…

This report presents findings from the evaluation of the second year of the professional services agreement between the Detroit, Michigan, Public Schools and Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. Under a contract with the school system, Sylvan attempted to improve the reading achievement of low-achieving students in 10 Title 1 schools. The program…

The impact of Kentucky state testing on educational practices in Kentucky public schools was investigated via a survey study. Randomly selected urban and nonurban teachers and principals (4 groups, N=180) throughout the state participated in the survey. Findings indicate that this state testing program has substantial impact on educational…

A questionnaire was developed to assess high school principals' attitudes regarding the Tennessee Proficiency Test. The questionnaires were distributed statewide to the 147 public high school principals; 121 principals responded. Questionnaire items dealt with issues such as policy statements, remedial activities, graduation requirements, and…

Twelve teachers and two principals from the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union School District (Vermont) met to consider what a small rural school district can do to assess its own programs and to discuss how to go about program assessment with the goal of helping schools become effective learning organizations. The district serves about 1,800…

The Florida Statewide Assessment Program annually tests students on their achievement of statewide objectives in the basic skills areas of mathematics, reading, and writing. The objective-referenced tests, which measure entry-level skills, are administered in the fall of each year. Results are provided for each student, school, district, and the…

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) staff developed strategies to train teachers and principals to use state assessment results for improving academic achievement in their schools. Two local uses of the state assessment results are (1) using the results of grades 4, 7, and 10 with the students tested, and (2) using the results to…

This is the third in a series of six monographs developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. These results provide reliable, objective information on the status of basic skills education useful in reviewing and revising the curriculum and instructional program. This review requires…

Educators' perceptions of the effects of state mandated testing on instructional practices and curricular decisions were studied. An ethnographic interview study was conducted with 30 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers and 12 principals from Illinois, New York, and Tennessee. Forty-one of the 42 respondents agreed to have their interviews audiotaped.…