Educational assessment is important. But in the twenty-first century it is easy to feel that schooling and other phases of education are shaped entirely by certain assessments, and that assessment is only about exam results. The idea that test grades can accurately describe the aims and outcomes of education is unfair and reductive. Yet it is a…

If there is one thing that describes the trajectory of American education, it is this: more high-stakes testing. In the United States, the debates surrounding this trajectory can be so fierce that it feels like we are in uncharted waters. As Christopher Bjork reminds us in this study, however, we are not the first to make testing so central to…

"Assessing Learning in the Primary Classroom" is an accessible introduction to the concepts critical to a professional understanding of this vital aspect of a teacher's role. It comprehensively considers the principles underpinning effective assessment, the different forms it can take and the different purposes it serves, both within and beyond…

The pressing need to improve achievement in American schools is widely recognized. In "Tests, Testing, and Genuine School Reform," Herbert J. Walberg draws on scientific studies of tests and their uses to inform citizens, educators, and policy makers about well-established principles of testing, current problems, and promising evidence-based…

This book calls attention to the policies and practices that discriminate against the silent majority of students in the American educational system. Arguments presented emphasize the collateral damage caused to average students by legislative mandates, administrative policies, teaching practices, parenting beliefs, and adherence to strict…

A committee of the National Research Council studied the desirability, feasibility, and potential impact of two reporting practices for National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results: district-level reporting and market-basket reporting. NAEP's sponsors believe that reporting district-level NAEP results would support state and local…

A study was conducted of the feasibility of establishing an equivalency scale that would enable commercial state tests to be linked to one another and to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In evaluating the feasibility of linkages, the study committee focused on the linkage of various fourth-grade reading tests and the linkage…

This book examines educational improvement in Great Britain in recent years. It addresses three concerns: (1) develop better estimates of the extent to which schools have changed in their effectiveness over time; (2) understand the factors and strategies associated with changes in performance across schools; and (3) explore the school-improvement…

It is not surprising that a broad array of treatment programs have been developed to reduce test anxiety, since the consequences can be serious. The contributions in this volume review and evaluate the theory of test anxiety, its measurement, its manifestations, and possible treatments and their outcomes. The following chapters are included: (1)…

The current debate about education seems centered in concerns about scores on local, state, and national tests as preludes to entering the workforce fully prepared. In this exploration, stories about leadership, control of learning, civic life, and literacy are used to help refocus the educational debate. Our concerns should be how to create…

Although standardized testing is increasingly prominent in the United States, the testing industry has not received much attention. The industry and the market for standardized tests are examined, emphasizing the fragmented nature of the market. After an introduction, Chapter 2 describes the testing marketplace, and Chapter 3 reviews evidence on…

This is the fourth in a series of technical reports that have dealt with issues surrounding the possibility of national value-added systems for primary schools in England. The main focus has been on the relative progress made by students between the ends of Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2). The analysis has indicated that the strength of…

Since 1989 the Texas Education Agency has reported selected results from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Board and the American College Testing Program's original and Enhanced ACT Assessment for prior year graduating seniors. This fifth annual report presents these data for the 1991-92 graduating class. Texas statewide and…

Perceived declines in student achievement and family environment and the perceived ineffectiveness of increases in educational expenditures have stimulated the present investigation, which focuses primarily on estimating the change in achievement test scores that can be attributed to changing family and demographic characteristics. Family…

This document is a sample of the report the American College Testing Program (ACT) sends individual high schools. Statistics in this report reflect the characteristics of students from the school who took the ACT Assessment during their sophomore, junior, or senior year and graduated in 1997. Depending on the proportion of students from the school…