It is only a slight exaggeration to describe the test theory that dominates educational measurement today as the application of twentieth-century statistics to nineteenth-century psychology. Sophisticated estimation procedures, new techniques for missing-data problems, and theoretical advances into latent-variable modeling have appeared--all…

This document tabulates extensive and detailed information about the assessment programs of each state. It is the third edition of the database and remains the single best source for information about the student assessments that states conduct. The database is compiled from a survey completed by state directors of assessment. The first section of…

The Colorado Education Goals Panel, appointed by Governor Roy Romer in 1995 to meet the challenge of raising student achievement levels, is a 40-member planning group co-chaired by the Governor and Commissioner Bill Randall. The group includes parents, educators, business and civic leaders, policymakers, and administrators from higher education.…

This document presents summaries of 28 national data collection programs, to document the amount and nature of information on individuals with disabilities included in the programs. For each program, information provided includes sponsor, purpose, collection cycle, data sources, collection methods, study design, variable domains,…

This book offers a step-by-step, systematic process for designing high-performance learning organizations. The process helps administrators develop proposals for redesigning school districts that are tailored to the district's environment, work system, and social system. Chapter 1 describes the characteristics of high-performing organizations, and…

The aim of this study was to construct and validate a biographical inventory to measure personality traits that are predictive of leadership. The experimental inventory, consisting of tentative scales for Dominance, Emotional Stability, Need for Achievement, Self-Confidence, and Sociability, was administered to 642 incoming midshipmen at the Naval…

The curriculum-management audit was developed to provide school districts with a tool for making districtwide improvements. The audit can be used to help districts improve quality control over their instructional programs. This book offers a step-by-step guide to school improvement with a focus on conducting an internal audit. The first four…

The requirement that schools in England and Wales assess their students, at age seven, in English and mathematics has created a demand for an assessment of students at their entry to statutory schooling. This paper reports on the development and standardization of a test of mathematical concepts for students aged four and over (four plus) as they…

Over the past few decades, educators have witnessed a slowly growing but significant change in the way they approach their work. Professional curriculum debate now tends to be over procedures, not over what counts as legitimate knowledge. This book aims to reintegrate the ethical, personal, and political into curriculum discourse and decision…

A new national assessment system could lay a solid foundation for improving schools by monitoring the effectiveness of schools and teachers and student progress toward national goals. A sound national assessment system would: (1) allow valid comparisons between schools, districts, and states; (2) provide sound data on achievement, not just…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has always included students with disabilities and limited English proficient (LEP) students in the sample to be assessed, but only in relatively limited numbers. Recent research has indicated that many students who have been excluded are in fact capable of participating. The National Center…

In 1991, East Ward Elementary School (Texas) exemplified a dilemma in traditional instruction approaches, namely, that teachers working ever harder using traditional approaches were still not preparing the diverse student population to live in a highly technological, fast-paced world. The staff then engaged in research into the concepts of…

In 1993, a study was conducted to investigate the responses of associate degree programs in manufacturing and related technical programs to current technical education initiatives. The study focused on the relationships of associate degree programs to secondary and postsecondary education and industry, curricular trends, familiarity with the…

In 1995, the Education Commission of the States released the first in a series of annual reports examining the progress of education reform. The report concluded that despite many encouraging signs of progress, American schools and students were losing ground. This 1996 report, the second in the series, summarizes data on student performance,…

Portfolios are collections of selected student work representing an array of performance. This "Consumer Guide" presents information on what has been learned about using portfolios for administrative purposes, the problems involved, and possible solutions to these problems. Student portfolios are being used administratively for…