Studied students' erasure behavior on a standardized (low stakes) test. Results for 5,641 students in grades 4, 8, and 11 suggest that students do change their responses at an average of 6 to 7% of the tested items and that overall achievement appears unrelated to the student's tendency to erase and change a response. Discusses conditions under…

Describes the whole language "way of being" from the perspective of a department chair teaching remedial 9th-grade and honors 12th-grade students. Considers how whole language fits into standardized testing programs, what students take away from whole language, what its general characteristics are, and how it fits with student learning patterns…

Addresses two issues in the ethics of grading and testing. The first is the charge that the practice of grading students is intrinsically coercive. The second is the national debate about authentic assessment, educational standards, and standardized measures of educational outcomes. The paper suggests there is an acceptable middle ground. (SM)

The deficit model of assessment dominating education in postwar Britain largely disappeared in the 1970s. Inherent weaknesses of the 11-plus exam, which still survives, may explain current obsession with formative assessment. Record keeping, grading, and other difficulties with changes wrought by the 1988 Education Reform Act and the National…

A former U.S. Commissioner of Education during Lyndon Johnson's administration discusses his 50-year educator career and his views about leadership responsibility, school desegregation, funding for black colleges, the limitations of poverty and standardized tests, and putting excellent teachers in charge of teacher preparation programs. (MLH)

A suburban Philadelphia district set aside $100,000 for merit-pay (bonuses) for individuals and groups of teachers. Although teachers are resistant, vowing to give to charity any bonuses linked to test scores, morale and scores have improved. Cincinnati and Castle Rock, Colorado, have workable plans. (MLH)

Records of 276 registered nurses who took the National League for Nursing Mobility Profile II, a test to validate lower-division credits, were analyzed. Grade point average (GPA) from associate degrees was the strongest predictor of test performance. Baccalaureate nursing programs should consider using GPA as a validation criterion for nursing…

Presents findings from the 2001 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll survey, in which most Americans gave their local public schools high marks, highlighting how people rated their schools, what school problems captured public attention, the public's attitude toward standardized testing, whether all children have equal opportunity to learn, and public…

Examines what elementary school teachers believe will improve the quality of literacy assessment for children. Finds that three of the top five belief statements, to which teachers most strongly agreed, focused on the importance of inservice education for teachers. Suggests directions for both teacher educators and policy makers. (RS)

Interviewed diverse beginning teachers in a variety of Massachusetts public schools regarding how they experienced curriculum and assessments in the face of standards-based reform. Respondents received little or no guidance about what to teach or how to teach it and struggled to prepare content and materials. The standards and accountability…

Offers one teacher's Top Ten list for ways to remain true to excellence in teaching despite the tug of war around testing. Suggests that when teachers start to make teaching decisions based on a test, they become powerless. Concludes that it is important not to sacrifice teaching, devotion to children, or standards of excellence for high-stakes…

Today's standardized tests are not the best way to evaluate schools or students. These tests do not evaluate what students have learned in school. There is a high likelihood that the specific content sampled by a standardized test may be seriously inconsistent with local curricula aspirations. Sidebars report on recommendations from the Commission…

Compares rationale, strengths, and weaknesses of four assessment methods used in English-as-a-Second-Language: standardized, student centered, curriculum based, and performance based. Provides a framework for developing alternative assessments that respond to audience needs, allow learner participation, and capture the richness of literacy…

Black students on average score below white students on the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT). There is huge variation in this gap between states resulting from racial differences in the quality of education provided. Discusses problems in compiling state-by-state data; notes states where blacks have improved SAT scores; and examines…

Argues that education reform cannot be limited to what goes on in the classroom. Contends that innovation does not inevitably lead to change until and unless the innovators take back control over factors exogenous to the classroom, factors such as pre-college selection, outside testing, accreditation requirements, and class size. (Author/WRM)