Most biology undergraduates learn about mutations in multiple classrooms throughout their college career. Understanding personalised genome test results, genome editing controversies, and the appearance of new variants of viruses or antibiotic resistant bacteria all require foundational knowledge about mutations. However, the abstract nature of…

Increasing numbers of states have incorporated measures of students' academic growth into their data and accountability policies. Measuring growth is a statistically complicated task and complex growth measures can be easy to misinterpret. This paper reports on a survey of 317 Massachusetts principals' understanding of the Student Growth…

This study presents secondary analyses on a 2-stage test of reading comprehension for students with reading-based learning disabilities (RLD). The present paper describes student perceptions of the test and its features as well as analyses focused on the routing test and associated cut score. The routing test contained typical state assessment…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). This programmed text is intended for use by teachers in occupational education. Some of the theory and background associated with behavioral objectives is included. The main emphasis is on teaching the skill of writing a…

The 1972 assessment activities in the Massachusetts schools concentrated on the areas of citizenship and science, utilizing two seventh grade samples of 10,000 students each, with each group completing only one assessment form. The testing program utilized National Assessment Items for age 13, as well as a few items from the Measurement Research…

Standards-based reform is about setting standards and measuring attainment in criterion-referenced ways. Assessments should measure and monitor students' current achievement and progress over time. As Massachusetts testing deficiencies illustrate, assessments must stress longitudinal over cross-sectional designs, valued performances, developmental…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). Automobile mechanics was selected as a test development area because of the uniqueness of its curriculum, being controlled by the automobile manufacturers through competitive design and redesign of their products. Because of…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). The purpose of the work described in this report is to provide a set of specific behavioral objectives for woodworking teachers to use in the development of their high school curricula. Special emphasis is given to a…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). After an overview of the Performance Test Development Project, a summary of the major products and byproducts is presented. The major products are: (1) a set of clearly defined, well-structured, and consistent behavioral…

In order to create a Statewide evaluation system for schools offering occupational education, behavioral objectives of various occupational programs were developed A total systems approach to education was thus possible with behavioral objectives as the basic component. Thirty-six participating secondary schools and community colleges in…

Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, and Ecology assessment instruments were administered to approximately 1,800 nine year old and 1,800 seventeen year old Massachusetts students. The 9 year old students exceeded the performance of a national and international sampling of students. They equaled the performance of a sampling of students from…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). The first part of this document is an overview of the Performance Test Development Project. The remainder of the document explores machine shop curriculum in terms of terminal behavioral objectives which were grouped by…

This document describes the background, methodology, and results of the Massachusetts educational assessment program for social studies and citizenship skills. The program, which was conducted during 1975-76, sampled knowledge and attitudes of 9- and 17-year-olds throughout the state on specific educational objectives. Criterion-referenced tests…

As part of a series of annual evaluations of the knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes of Massachusetts public-school students, this report represents the assessment of basic skills attainment of grade 12 students. The first three chapters contain a summary of the design and methodology of the testing program. The remaining five chapters…