Describes the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which annually assesses the extent to which students at four-year colleges and universities are participating in educational practices strongly associated with high levels of learning and personal development. Rather than focusing on the institution's resources, the basis of most school…

Reports that the Assessment of Catholic Religious Education (ACRE), which looks at content and technical properties of Catholic education, is being revised. Provides a projected time line for the revision process and states that the new version will be available for the 2001-2002 school year. Asserts that schools need to be ready to make the…

Each Rasch (Masters) partial credit item can be expressed as the sum of independent Rasch binary items and Rasch (or Masters) indecomposable trinary items. If each trinary item is then expressed as the sum of two binary items, the binary items are positively dependent and cannot be both Rasch types. (SLD)

Discusses the hazards of prematurely assessing the result of middle school reforms, noting the phenomenon of the "J-curve" effect that models a decline during an adjustment period before showing a long-term improvement. Considers reasons for this initial decline. (JPB)

Responds to the question of how to know whether reforms have an influence on student learning. Discusses the shift in epistemology about the learning of mathematics, systemic notions about schooling, appropriate evidence related to the notion of schooling practices, and assessing mathematics literacy. (Contains 12 references.) (ASK)

Discusses the fact that alternative approaches to assessment are not more evident in critical pedagogies. Reviews propositions for the revision of assessment from the perspectives of student-centered and critical pedagogy and proposes that it is necessary to understand and work with complex social processes in developing less hierarchical…

Questions use of value-added assessment of student achievement to solve problems of accountability. Discusses three problems associated with value-added assessment: (1) limited accuracy of testing to measure student gains; (2) factors other than teacher or school quality possibly attributable to gains; and (3) lack of gain comparators for students…

Analysis of school improvement projects in Britain and elsewhere identified successful practices: vision, extended view of leadership, program-context match, multilevel approaches, and focus on student outcomes. Projects failed when contextual factors were ignored, schools were treated the same, or single-level perspectives were adopted.…

Presents synopses of panelists David Wolf, Jean Moore, Cecelia Lopez, and Ann Chard's discussions on the forms of learning assessment that were identified as being most effective, according to their accreditation teams. The panel discussion was sponsored by the National Council for Research and Planning, a council of the American Association of…

The article looks back 35 years to a challenge on examination practices, based on common assumptions at the time. It notes that many although not all of these assumptions are still accepted in much of current practice, although some have been examined by researchers and found wanting extensively in the intervening time. The particular assumptions…

Department of Education has created a report card with a star rating system, which would assist parents in evaluating the local schools in Minnesota. Schools should not concentrate only on the stars that are test-based but should also consider other criteria like the quality of the library program.

Assessment gatherings have multiplied exponentially over the past 15 years, and the amount of guidance now available through conferences, workshops, and other kinds of events is truly impressive. From the national organizations to accrediting agencies and statewide consortia to campus meetings and on-line resources, there are rich opportunities…

For nearly a decade, ACT has measured student progress in the context of college readiness. "The Condition of College & Career Readiness" is ACT's annual report on the college readiness of the most recent high school graduating class. The data herein provide insights to catalyze and guide efforts to improve college and career…

Some see the George W. Bush administration's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) as the perfect complement to the No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) equity focus. The authors believe, however, that the prospects for synergy of these two agendas are not bright. In this essay, the authors discuss the history behind NCLB and the ACI, and argue…

The move to electronic forms of communication has changed the way educational research is communicated. In particular it has led to an increased reliance on journals. This change has been more precipitous than one might expect. As journals become a larger proportion of the body of current scholarship, authors and readers seek new methods of…