The pros and cons of integrated learning systems (ILS) and stand-alone software for adult literacy instruction were examined in a comparative analysis that focused on their use in adult literacy programs in Canada. The comparison focused on the following variables: achievement gains in reading; changes in students' attitudes toward computers;…

Summer Opportunity to Accelerate Reading (SOAR) 2002 was AISD's summer reading program serving 2,251 students completing kindergarten through grade 2 in June 2002. Among students with valid reading scores, 86% made reading gains during the program.

This chapter provides an overview of statistical issues arising in work on educational assessment and school accountability, organized around some of the most consequential misunderstandings. The article proceeds via a series of nine vignettes describing misunderstandings of statistical uncertainty in educational assessment and school…

This report presents the results and sample items of a reading test and a mathematics test administered to Year 5 and Year 7 primary level students in 1989 in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Primary Assessment Program (PAP) monitors achievement in English and Mathematics in urban schools. All students in Years 5 and 7 are tested in…

This report describes the aggregated reading and mathematics performances of students in years 5 and 7 in urban Northern Territory (Australia) schools on the Primary Assessment Program (PAP) tests. The aggregated results are encouraging, with apparent gains in some reading tests over the preceding year, and no evidence of decline in the others.…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Chapter 1 Corrective Reading Program, designed to provide supplementary reading and writing instruction to Chapter 1-eligible students from New York City nonpublic schools. During the 1988-89 school year, the program served a total of 7,943 students at 162 instructional sites. The total included 4,656…

This report evaluates the 1982-83 Compensatory Language Experience and Reading Program (CLEAR), which served 5392 Ohio students, grades K-8, whose reading skills achievement was at or below the 36th percentile. The program featured individual or small group instruction. Instructional techniques and materials based on skill-centered objectives were…

During the 1978-79 school year, all third grade pupils in California public schools were tested in reading achievement. Tests of reading, written expression, spelling, and mathematics were administered to all sixth and twelfth graders. Various subtests of the Survey of Basic Skills, which was developed specifically for the California Assessment…

The Local District Assessment Option (piggyback program) is an integral part of the Minnesota Statewide Educational Assessment Program, which provides the 162 participating local school districts with materials and procedures developed for the statewide program. Materials are available in reading, mathematics, social studies, and science for…

The federal government's more than thirty-year attempt to solve the problems of poverty--in particular, the diminished life chances of children from low-income households--has been, according to these authors, largely unsuccessful. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 is, and has been, the most heavily funded…

This report presents and analyzes data from the 2004-05 school year related to the characteristics of charter schools in Colorado, including student achievement and school performance. The purpose, methodology and growth of charter schools in the state is discussed, followed by an overview of the background and mandates of the Colorado Charter…

This study assessed how some key measurement issues were considered in the context of a specific integrated reading and writing assessments conducted at each of seven grade levels in the Riverside (California) Unified School District. Data are reported for the following parameters: (1) test reliability; (2) test validity; (3) scoring; (4) scaling;…

In 1990, President Bush and the nation's governors adopted the six National Education Goals as part of a campaign to increase educational performance at all levels. Goal 3 states that, by the year 2000, American students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competence in challenging subject matter, including English, mathematics,…

The College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is an examination of achievement in communication skills and mathematics that is mandated by state law for college students in community colleges and state universities in Florida as a requirement for an Associate's degree or for entry into upper-level courses. Higher CLAST standards went into effect…

The College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is a mandated examination of the achievement of college students in communications skills and mathematics that must be passed by students in Florida public institutions of higher education to receive an Associate's degree or entrance into upper-level courses. This report gives test results on the…