To investigate performance patterns on strands of the mathematics curriculum, locally developed criterion-referenced benchmark tests were administered to all kindergarten through fourth graders in the Minneapolis public schools. Total test scores and strand scores were analyzed by ethnic group, gender, and socioeconomic status. (Author/BS)

Two approaches to math instruction were compared in the fifth grade of the Jordan (Utah) School District. For middle- to lower-socioeconomic-status (SES) pupils, the Goal-Based Educational Management System Proficiency Mathematics approach was substantially more cost-effective. For high-SES pupils, a more traditional text-oriented approach was…

This document represents the first of two volumes presented in "Study of the Impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives Program" (Norman L. Webb and Iris R. Weiss). In an effort to evaluate the impact of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSIs) on student achievement and the lessons that could be learned from the National Science…

New Hampshire is in the midst of a transition--a transition between assessment systems--a transition between accountability systems. The elementary grades were assessed with the newly developed New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests in October 2005. The high school (grade 10) will be assessed with New Hampshire's previous state-wide…

This brief summarizes the findings of a recent book, "Standards Deviation: How Schools Misunderstand Education Policy" (Spillane, 2004), that examines state and local government relations as the standards move from the statehouse to the district policymakers and teachers who attempt to make sense of them. It takes a case study approach,…

This report uses transcript data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) to provide nationally representative information about the level of academic preparation the high school graduating class of 2003-04 had when leaving high school. ELS:2002 is the most recent secondary school longitudinal study conducted by the National Center…

Background: To provide a national picture of the academic achievements of American students, the National Center for Education Statistics has administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) periodically since 1969, but there has been no similar national picture of the academic achievement of youth with disabilities. Purpose: To…

The No Child Left Behind Act requires standards-based accountability for school districts and schools receiving Title I funds. A major component of this policy is to report whether districts and schools are making "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) based on their performance goals. This paper raises questions for rural schools using the…

Located at a meeting place between the West and the East, Hong Kong has been chosen in this comparative investigation to reconfirm a theoretical model of "reciprocal relationship" between mathematics achievement and self-concept using the 8th grade databases from TIMSS and TIMSS-R. During the time between these two projects, Hong Kong…

In the western literature, mathematics achievement and its related student self-concept are important education outcomes reciprocally linked and mutually reinforcing. The reciprocal relation model is examined in this study to assess its generalization in a cross-cultural setting. Hong Kong is the site of choice because of its exposure to…

This digest reviews research on the status of rural student achievement and schooling conditions and describes variations across the nation and the states. Between 1992 and 1996, rural students began to outperform nonrural students on the 8th-grade mathematics assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite this aggregate…

This issue of ENC Focus serves as a guide to 29 instructional materials that utilize some form of alternative assessment. These materials focus on mathematics, science, and integrated topics. The products included utilize one or more of the following means of student assessment: (1) portfolios; (2) journals; (3) interviews; (4) surveys; (5)…

The purpose of this study was to take an initial step toward developing sound and versatile predictive instruments (i.e., benchmark measures) in reading, writing, and math that can be used to assess high-school students' academic performance in a manner that will not only predict scores on high-stakes tests but will also be amenable to repeat…

Using unique administrative data on Chicago public high school students and their teachers, we are able to estimate the importance of teachers on student mathematical achievement. We find that teachers are educationally and statistically important. To be sure, sampling variation and other measurement issues can strongly influence estimates of…

This report includes information from the National Indian Education Study of American Indian/Alaska Native students in grades 4 and 8 on the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics. The national sample includes both public and private schools (i.e. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Defense Education…