The study sought to identify clusters of variables potentially linked to departmental excellence in institutions of higher education, and to determine whether these clusters and combinations thereof could be used to generate rankings of programs which would be consistent with those based on reputation. It studied the interrelationship of…

Designed to assess the success of social studies instruction for grade 8 students in Manitoba, Canada, this test evaluation instrument contains the manual, scoring key, and the administered test. The test covers the following sections: attitudes and values, social participation, knowledge, thinking and reasoning skills, and a long answer section…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a survey of the educational achievement of American students and changes in their achievement across time. The NAEP has collected information for over 20 years to assist educators and policy makers. This guide intends to: document current NAEP methods for both state and national…

A Congressional hearing was held to consider: (1) the S.2034 To Authorize the Creation of a National Education Report Card To be consider: (1) the creation of a National Education Report Card to Schools and To Establish a National Council on Educatonal Goals, students and schools, and (2) the establishment of a National Council on Educational…

This paper reviews the literature about item response models for the subject level and aggregated level (group level). Group-level item response models (IRMs) are used in the United States in large-scale assessment programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the California Assessment Program. In the Netherlands, these…

Assessment of undergraduate student learning is discussed by a representative of the College Entrance Examination Board in testimony to the National Governors' Association. Governors are advised to avoid externally-mandated assessment requirements on colleges, since there is no single instrument available to effectively assess academic achievement…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administered a writing task to nationally representative samples of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students in order to assess their abilities to use the conventions of written English. Approximately 2,000 students at each age level completed this task as part of NAEP's 1984 writing assessment.…

This summary of the written responses of participants in the Plenary Session of the 1985 World Conference of the International Council for Distance Education begins with a review of the session's specific goals: (1) to present selected ideas and arguments from two perspectives--a traditional pedagogical one and an open, andragogical one; allow…

The current educational reform movement defines excellence in rather narrow ways, seeming content to prescribe measures to correct the perceived permissiveness of the past--more control, more requirements, and tougher standards. But rather than merely retracing old ground, educators should recognize that they are operating on a different plane…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) survey of reading achievement is assessed, its objectives are discussed, and recommendations for future testing are made. It appears that a great deal has been learned about the nation's levels of reading achievment from the four NAEP reading assessments conducted from 1970 to 1984. NAEP…

A major issue facing the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment is its relationship with the most frequently encountered measurement practices among State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Should NAEP conduct its assessments in a fashion that represents how things should be, or reflect…

The merits of a state testing program that would measure the basic skills of college students and provide a basis for improvement was studied in Texas in 1985 by the Committee on Testing. Basic skills among colleges students and the use of postsecondary testing and remediation programs were studied in several states. The review included various…

The development and initial standardization of a two-part geography assessment test designed to measure student knowledge and understanding at the secondary level is the focus of this study. Intended to provide information about groups of students rather than to assess individual students, Part 1 of the test measures geographic skills and a…

This document summarizes the activities conducted under the National Institute of Education (NIE) planning grant for the new Center on Student Testing, Evaluation, and Standards and the conceptualizations that emerged from these activities. Chapter 1 presents a summary of the planning activities actually conducted under the award, including…

High School and Beyond (HS&B) is a longitudinal study, sponsored by the Center for Statistics (CS), of nationally representative samples of high school sophomores and seniors of 1980. In the 1980 base year survey questionnaires and cognitive tests were administered to over 30,000 sophomores and 28,000 seniors enrolled in 1,015 public and…