With the demand for a demonstration of continuous progress as an accountability gauge in public schools, teachers are compelled to examine assessment data for each of their pupils. This data analysis, in turn, should help teachers gauge their instructional practices and differentiate instruction so that all can reach proficient levels of…

Background/Context: This article addresses the classroom contextual effects of absences on student achievement. Previous research on peer effects has predominantly focused on peer socioeconomic status or classroom academic ability and its effects on classmates. However, the field has been limited by not discerning the individual-level academic…

This report provides information about the performance of 2009 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2009 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the context of…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. In 1994, TSA was expanded to include non-public school students. The 1994 reading assessment considered students' proficiency in situations that involved…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. In 1992, the NAEP Program included an expanded TSA in fourth-grade reading. The 1992 reading assessment considered students' performance in situations that…

Superintendents from 155 school districts in Pennsylvania were surveyed regarding their participation in Pennsylvania's 1976 Educational Quality Assessment (EQA). Ten state goals for quality public school education were assessed in grades 5, 8, and 11, as part of the EQA. Questionnaire responses were returned by superintendents from 128 school…

In April 1969, the year before school district reorganization, students in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania were given the 1965 version of the Stanford Achievement Test. In April 1976, the sixth year of desegregation, students were given the 1973 version of the Stanford Achievement Test. This paper presents seven charts comparing the 1969 scores in…

An evaluation made by outside experts was conducted to measure the effectiveness of the nine revised cluster units in Project AWAKE, to investigate the program's progress towards its stated objectives, and to evaluate the methodology employed. Career awareness of students was compared and evaluated through separate tests. Scenes depicting work and…

This report provides selected results from the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Pennsylvania's public-school students at grades 4 and 8. Since 1992, reading has been assessed in four different years at the state level (at grade 4 in 1992 and 1994, and at both grades 4 and 8 in 1998 and 2002). Pennsylvania participated in…

During the 3-year period from 1995 through 1998, the mean mathematical and reading achievement scores of Slippery Rock Area High School's (SRAHS) 11th graders reflected a distinct decline. In the 1995-96 school year, the SRAHS 11th-grade standardized mathematics score was significantly higher than the mean in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as…

Research was conducted at Bucks County Community College, Newton, Pennsylvania, during the 1969-70 academic year to determine the effects of special reading and study skills instruction combined with counseling on the success rate of "high-risk" students. A course, which involved 2 hours of instruction per week plus 1 additional hour of…

This report on trends in school improvement test results presents an analysis and synthesis of 1978-1984 student performance data from four state-mandated testing programs: (1) the Educational Quality Assessment Program in Pennsylvania; (2) the Minimum Basic Skills Program in New Jersey; (3) the Delaware Educational Assessment Program in Delaware;…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various academic subjects. The 1996 NAEP in mathematics assessed the current level of mathematical achievement as a mechanism for informing education reform. In 1996, 44…

The mandated minimum competency programs of two states--Pennsylvania and Maryland--are examined, and some of the effects on school districts of raising the testing stakes are reviewed. In a survey conducted during the winter of 1986-87 in Pennsylvania and Maryland, one teacher, one principal, and one central office staff member each from 277…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to determine what changes might improve the effectiveness of the State's adult basic education (ABE) program. Northcutt's construct of functional competency adult performance level (APL) and Mezirow's program evaluation model provided the basis for the project's two components: APL assessment and program…