This books contains papers written on issues related to externally mandated mathematics tests and their influence on school mathematics. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the book, including brief abstracts of each chapter. Chapter 2 presents a summary of the overall problems associated with the need for valid information. Remaining chapters…

This collection of examples of authentic assessments has been compiled to provide a sampling of the many new strategies for evaluating student work and learning that are being developed and used in schools around the country. These strategies are called "authentic" because they require that students demonstrate what they can do as…

This report outlines the National Head Start Association's (NHSA) Quality Initiative, which is designed to promote and recognize practices of high quality in Head Start preschool programs. The Initiative recognizes that within the Head Start community there are four levels of quality: Needs Improvement, Adequate, Achievement, and Excellence. The…

This report assesses student perceptions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Individual and focus-group interviews were conducted with approximately 100 students in 6 schools in 3 geographically different school districts across Kentucky. In addition, a brief exit interview was conducted with principals to solicit feedback concerning…

This paper reports on a newly designed judgmental method for setting test performance standard that: (1) overcome many of the practical and psychometric problems associated with the Angoff and Ebel methods; (2) can be used to set multiple cut points on a score scale; (3) may be readily and efficiently implemented with assessments that use…

The kinds of questions administrators, teachers, parents, the community, and children ask from under each of their hats makes educators and others aware of the information needs that people have for judging the success of schooling. Each audience, each role, asks slightly different questions, and the information needed to answer those questions is…

This chapter examines the potential pitfalls in evaluating the effectiveness of gifted education programs and applies recent trends in the assessment and maintenance of quality in industrial applications. Evaluators are encouraged to avoid the temptations of bad evaluation which may appear to offer simpler alternatives to complex tasks but…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in India are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education (UPE); eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Bangladesh are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional and national levels in the Philippines are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Thailand are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in support…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Pakistan are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in support…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Nepal are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in support of…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Vietnam are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in support…

This study examines the work of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) since its 1987 inception. Efforts to assess educational achievement at the local, regional, and national levels in Laos are examined with a view to achieving universal primary education; eradicating illiteracy; and providing continuing education in support of…