Evaluates the results of the first three years of the national Secondary Education Certificate in Malta to determine its impact on educational equity. The new examinations attempt to offer access, relevance, and appropriate assessments to a wide range of students. There have been some implementation problems, but much has been achieved. (SLD)

The leading school reform policy in the United States revolves around strong accountability of schools with consequences for performance. The federal government's involvement through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reinforces the prior movement of many states toward policies based on measured student achievement. Analysis of state achievement…

Many people predicted that 2005 would be the year that schools nationwide began feeling the bite of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, as states ratcheted up their performance targets and more schools failed to meet those benchmarks. But such dire predictions are not playing out uniformly across the states. Of the 33 states and the District of…

Students in New Hampshire will not be alone when they will take their new state mathematics and reading tests. Their fellow students in Rhode Island and Vermont will be taking the same exams along with them. This article reports that New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont have joined forces to create reading and math tests in grades 3-8. They…

Writing achievement among young adolescents has become a significant concern. According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) (2000), writing achievement has not changed appreciably in the last 15 years. However, NAEP data suggest that teachers have increased the amount of time students spend writing. In other words,…

Results of a previous meta-analysis of gender differences in reading achievement at the secondary school level (Lietz, in press) showed significant differences between major assessment programs. Thus, the gender gap in favour of girls was more pronounced for the assessment programs conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Programs in…

The importance of maps and other graphic representations has become more important to geography and geographers. This is due to the development and widespread diffusion of geographic (spatial) technologies. As computers and silicon chips have become more capable and less expensive, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning satellite…

Large-scale educational assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) sample examinees to whom an exam will be administered. In most situations the sampling design is not a simple random sample and must be accounted for in the estimating model. After reviewing the current operational estimation procedure for NAEP, this…

The reporting methods used in large scale assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) rely on a "latent regression model." The first component of the model consists of a "p"-scale IRT measurement model that defines the response probabilities on a set of cognitive items in "p" scales…

Explores the relation of educational evaluation and quality, arguing that true educational improvement depends on public debate that regards evaluation and quality as indispensable partners. Reviews limitations of current achievement tests as accurate measures of student or teacher competency. Notes problems including subject matter restrictions,…

This study evaluated procedures for establishing a minimum performance standard for the essay subtest of the National Teacher Examinations Communications Skills test. Results indicated the preferred procedure for setting standards on essays should involve a blind review followed by an informed review. (Author/DWH)

Citing experience with declining ability in Navy personnel, Admiral Rickover calls for a redirection of the schools toward intellectual development, with improved academic standards and objective measures of student performance. He advocates a federal panel to establish model standards and tests in the basic skills. (SJL)

The author, Assistant HEW Secretary for Education, reviews some of the evidence and recommendations on declining achievement in American schools, especially the National Academy of Education report, "Improving Educational Achievement." She examines point-by-point the current proposal for a national standards panel and a national…

Six prominent educators discuss barriers to achieving quality authentic assessment and the feasibility of implementing authentic assessment on a national basis. Points out the importance of using multiple assessments, the lack of a definition of authentic assessment, problems in developing quality assessments, and the immense cost of implementing…

The role of assessment in science education is explored, focusing on summative assessment in British public certificate examinations. Examples of test items are presented to illustrate difficulties in making valid and reliable assessments, and issues with implications for formative assessment are discussed. (SLD)