States and school districts are searching for strategies to raise the college and career readiness of high school graduates--imperative in an era when postsecondary credentials are the key to good jobs, better pay, and stronger economies. The creation and implementation of higher graduation standards aligned to college and career expectations is…

This paper profiles Texas's test score trends through 2008-09. In 2005, the mean scale score on the state 4th grade reading test was 2297 for non-Title I students and 2207 for Title I students. In 2009, the mean scale score in 4th grade reading was 2334 for non-Title I students and 2235 for Title I students. Between 2005 and 2009, the mean scale…

The participation and performance of 1999-2000 public school graduates in Texas on the College Board's SAT I: Reasoning Test and the ACT, Inc., ACT Assessment were investigated, along with results from other states and the United States. The highest combined number of Texas public school graduates ever, 120,077 or 62.2%, took either the SAT I or…

The participation and performance of 1998-1999 public school graduates in Texas on the College Board's SAT I: Reasoning Test and the ACT Inc. ACT Assessment were studied and compared to results from other states and the United States as a whole. The highest combined number of Texas public school graduates ever (113,807 or 61.8%) took either the…

Used the same methodology and data used by W. Haney in his study of achievement gains on the Texas high school exit examination to demonstrate that his conclusion about the increased pass rate was not correct. None of the 20% improvement in the exit test pass rate was explained by combined increases in dropout rates or special education…

Active-learning labs for two topics in high school biology were developed through the collaboration of high school teachers and university faculty and staff and were administered to 408 high school students in six classrooms. The content of instruction and testing was guided by State of Texas science objectives. Detailed teacher records describing…

By including district variables at a third level, this study extended previous two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) of multivariate relationships among Texas school-level characteristics and within-school mean Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores and score differentiating factors (L. L. Hargrove, M. X. Mao, and G. Barkanic, 1996;…

This study examined Texas public school participation and performance in the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs during the 2000-2001 school year. The number of Texas AP and IB examinees was higher than in previous years, as well as the number of schools with AP examinees. Participation rates for African Americans…

The participation and performance of 11th and 12th grade Texas public school district students in the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation courses and examinations during the 1996-1997 school year were investigated. The number of students taking the AP and IB examinations was higher than in…

The participation and performance of 11th and 12th grade Texas public school district students in the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation courses and examinations during the 1998-1999 school year were investigated. The number of students taking the AP and IB examinations was higher than in…

Results for 1996-97 graduating seniors in Texas are reported from the College Board's Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) I: Reasoning Test and from the American College Testing, Inc. (Enhanced) ACT Assessment. Texas statewide, district, and campus results are displayed along with aggregate results from the United States and other states. Included…

Results for 1995-96 graduating seniors in Texas are reported from the College Board's Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) I: Reasoning Test and from the American College Testing, Inc. (Enhanced) ACT Assessment. Texas statewide, district, and campus results are displayed along with aggregate results from the United States and other states. Included…

This annual report presents results from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program and the American College Testing (ACT) Program's original and enhanced ACT assessment for prior year graduating seniors. The last decade had brought some recovery over the decline of the previous 10 years in both Texas and…

This annual report presents Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) Program results for Texas for the 1993-94 graduating class. The last decade brought some recovery over the previous decade's decline in both Texas and national SAT averages, with relatively more improvement in Texas within the last 8 years. The average…

This report presents Texas results for the 1997-98 graduating class for both the College Board's SAT I: Reasoning Test (SAT) and the ACT Assessment. In 1998, numbers of both SAT I- and ACT-tested graduates were up from the previous year. The highest number of Texas high school graduates ever took one of the two examinations. The last decade…