This annual report provides a retrospective glimpse of Hawaii public schools for school year 2006-2007. Each year, it provides highlights for partners and stakeholders, new comparisons, presentations, and displays of current Department of Education information while maintaining the reporting of core data, such as student achievement, in a user…

Six anomalies in achievement test scores encountered by the Austin Independent School District are described. These include crossing gaps with uninterpolated medians; total group median declines while all subgroups' medians rise; outlying total percentiles; percentile and grade equivalent growth antithesis; same grade equivalent earning a…

Discusses the concept of graded language levels (GLL) and three distinguishing features of the Australian situation that must be taken into account when importing this concept from Great Britain. Describes the English (GOML) and the Scottish (GLAFLL) variants of graded language levels. Offers suggestions for designing a GLL package for Australia.…

A study shows public school personnel administrators do rely on supervisors' evaluations of student teachers when hiring. Points to remember when writing recommendations: be specific about aspects of classroom performance and comparison with other students. General statements may be well intended but do not assist the applicant. (BRR)

Discusses the development of performance schema that outline criteria specific to a job-related activity during which trainees apply course content and demonstrate competencies learned. The process involves identification and grouping of criteria, choosing rating scales, checklist construction, and organization of the preceding elements into a…

Can all the universities that claim to be "world-class" actually live up to the claim? If they could, would that be desirable public policy? It could be that there are so many different meanings of "world-class" that the term in practical effect is an oxymoron: the definition of "world" is determined locally when conceptually it should be defined…

Three types of student evaluation strategies used in Italy are described: (1) teacher's free comments; (2) standardized adjectives used as rating scales; and (3) numeric scores based on tests and other evaluation criteria. Implications of the third approach, which was implemented according to legislation in 1977, are discussed. (GDC)

Nationwide, public school spending in the United States has more than doubled in the past 30 years, while there has been no appreciable improvement in academic outcomes. The United States spends more of its gross national product on education than any industrialized country, yet languishes near the bottom of lists comparing those countries'…

PIRLS 2006 provides countries with the unique opportunity to obtain internationally comparative data about how well their children can read. Countries also will obtain detailed information about home supports for literacy as well as school instruction. For the 35 countries that participated in PIRLS 2001, PIRLS 2006 will provide information on…

Presently, there are competing philosophies of education which need comparison. Two philosophies will be compared which are at opposite ends of the continuum. They are distinctly different. And yet, both schools of thought have their disciples. Each of the two will be discussed in terms of its essential features and then there will be selected…

One of the most challenging issues a state must resolve in designing a statewide standards and college readiness assessment is that of how student scores should be reported. The ACT is an effective and reliable measure of student readiness for college and work, but in some cases states may wish to augment the ACT with tests of their own design. In…

This discussion of Pimlico School's self-assessment procedures focuses on methods used for reconciling student grades from mixed-ability and from ability-grouped classes into a valid picture of individual and schoolwide attainment. (SJL)

A major objective of this three year national Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) study was to evaluate the impact of ESAA programs by comparing schools that received ESAA funds with those that did not. Student growth in reading and mathematics were compared. To identify what kinds of schools (what allocations of resources, and what types of…

If developmental studies programs are to successfully enhance affective and cognitive development in a non-competitive, supportive setting, they must abandon traditional A to F grading in favor of a descriptive, personalized feedback system that helps the student make intelligent decisions concerning his/her academic future. Indeed, research…

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires school districts in every state to publish and disseminate annual report cards with information on district performance. Schools are required to report similar information. These report cards must include not only information on overall student achievement, but also on the performance of…