The North Carolina Open-Ended Assessment for grades 5 and 8 emphasizes higher-level thinking skills. Test items commonly require the integration of knowledge and skills from more than one curricular area. Beginning in 1996-97, the North Carolina Open-Ended Assessment was administered to students in grades 5 and 8 for the second time. Because it is…

North Carolina's migrant education program adequately met its 1977-78 objectives focusing on program continuity, summer and regular term programs, Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS), programs for formerly migrant children, and staff development. Evaluation was based on MSRTS data, test results, on-site monitoring, and local education…

This document contains preliminary state-level results for the 2000-2001 North Carolina state testing program. No conclusions about achievement are drawn in this report, although percentages achieving at given Achievement Levels are given for the end-of-grade tests. The Grade 3 Pretest is a multiple-choice reading and mathematics test administered…

This document contains results for 1998-1999 for several North Carolina state testing programs. The Grade 3 Pretest is a multiple-choice reading and mathematics test administered to students in the first 3 weeks of third grade. This pretest was administered to more than 101,000 students in the beginning of the 1998-1999 school year. Results show…

Beginning in the 1992-93 school year, the North Carolina State Board of Education authorized the administration of North Carolina-developed end-of-grade tests aligned with the state's "Standard Course of Study." These curriculum-based tests were administered to over 553,000 students in grades 3 through 8 at the end of the 1997-98 school…

This document contains results for 1999-2000 for North Carolina state testing programs. The Grade 3 pretest is a multiple-choice reading and mathematics test administered to students in the first 3 weeks of grade 3. This pretest was administered to more than 102,000 students in the 1999-2000 school year. Results showed that 69.8% of students…

Concern over reports that North Carolina elementary school students performed below the national norms in reading achievement led to the establishment of a pilot program to improve reading skills in grades one through three. The Primary Reading Program was initiated in 117 classrooms in 40 schools throughout the state; 117 control classrooms from…

The end-of-grade component of the North Carolina Testing Program was implemented in 1992-93 in response to state legislation. The end-of-grade tests emphasize higher-order thinking skills and the ability of students to solve real-life types of problems. These tests also reflect the higher standards set forth in national curriculum standards for…

With the recent proliferation of college service-learning programs and tutoring programs, college students have more opportunities to serve as tutors in elementary schools than ever before. A number of reports have appeared in the research literature describing tutoring programs that could serve as models for tutoring initiatives. Based on this…

This report provides data on the academic achievement gap that separates low-income and minority students from other students, examining how well different groups of students perform in North Carolina and noting inequities in teacher quality, course offerings, and funding. Included are tables and data that provide: a frontier gap analysis (a…

To fulfill the mandates of the State Legislature, a battery of national and statewide standardized norm-referenced tests has been administered in the spring of each year to North Carolina's students in grades 3, 6, and 8 to measure skills in reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies. This report presents summary results of…

This paper presents the appendices to the "High-Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Problems for the No Child Left Behind Act" report. It contains the following appendices: (1) Example of Context for Assessing State-Level Stakes Sheet--Connecticut; (2) Example of Completed Rewards and Sanctions Worksheet--Connecticut; (3) Directions…

The North Carolina Annual Testing Program, established by the 1977 General Assembly to assess the effectiveness of the educational process in North Carolina, involves the administration of a battery of norm-referenced tests to students in grades 3, 6, and 8 to measure skills in reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies. This…

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), standardized test scores are the indicator used to hold schools and school districts accountable for student achievement. Each state is responsible for constructing an accountability system, attaching consequences--or stakes--for student performance. The theory of action implied by this…

On July 28, 2006, a panel of experts briefed members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the putative benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in elementary and secondary education. Four experts presented written statements to the Commissioners that assessed the social science literature on this issue. They also addressed whether or not…