This article examines the relationship between social perspective taking (SPT) and student achievement in three domains: conflict resolution, historical empathy, and social studies grades. Although many have asserted that SPT relates to important educational outcomes, varying conceptualizations of SPT have impeded researchers' abilities to assess…

The last two decades have seen an increase in the demand for information about school effectiveness. For this paper, school effectiveness is defined as the value-added effectiveness. Value-added indices measure achievement over and above what would have been expected from attendance at a comparable school. They assess school effectiveness after…

Background information is provided about the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) reading test, a test developed to meet the objectives specified by the State Board of Education in 1986. The revised test measures reading in a more interactive manner than did previous tests. The rationale of the test is presented, the revised reading…

The purpose of the High School Development Center, an alternative school in Detroit, Michigan, is to provide educational opportunities for 300 students identified as unsuccessful by principals of five high schools. Students in grades 9 and 10 are selected for the program if they exhibit two of the following: (1) very low academic achievement; (2)…

The purpose of the High School Development Center, an alternative school in Detroit, Michigan, is to provide educational opportunities for 300 students identified as unsuccessful by principals of five high schools. Students in grades 9 and 10 are selected for the program if they exhibit two of the following: (1) very low academic achievement; (2)…

The results of the May 1984 British Columbia Reading Assessment were presented in this summary report. Highlights of the survey, summary tables of important results, and conclusions and recommendations made by the Contract Team were outlined. The students in grades four, seven, and ten completed achievement surveys and attitude scales. Five…

Data from the grade 8 and grade 10 science tests of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) were used to demonstrate that achievement tests are multidimensional and that using psychologically meaningful subscores in national surveys can enhance test validity and usefulness. (SLD)

Background: The Hawaii Department of Education (HDOE) launched its Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in spring, 2002, within the context of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) Act of 2001 and its mandates to close the "achievement gaps" between subgroups of students. Thus, it is important to investigate the extent to which student…

A new test theory for performance-based assessment is proposed. Criteria for "good" performance-based items, ways of measuring cognitive complexity, methods for determining maturity levels of understanding, and scaling systems are discussed. A performance-based task completed by 51 ninth and tenth graders in June 1993 was studied.…

This report describes the results of the October, 1987, state assessment of basic skills of all Washington public school students in grades 4, 8, and 10. More than 152,000 students were tested using the Metropolitan Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition. The first section of the report describes the general state level results for the involved grades.…

The Statewide Assessment Program, administered by the Alaska Department of Education, tests all fourth and eighth graders in math and reading biennially. In 1985, the Department's Office of Evaluation, Assessment and Research undertook an evaluation of the assessment program to identify procedures which needed improvement and to determine the…

This report describes the third party evaluation of the State Fair Community College Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE) program's third (and final) year. Forty-one tenth and eleventh grade students participated in the program and were matched for evaluation with similar nonparticipating control groups. Evaluation instruments included Career…

This study demonstrates that the validity and usefulness of mathematics achievement tests can be improved by defining psychologically meaningful subscores that yield differential relations with student, teacher, and school variables. The eighth- and tenth-grade mathematics tests from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) were…

Inquired 69 students' beliefs about registering for high school chemistry. The information was used to develop a questionnaire and persuasive messages. Among 598 target students, chemistry enrollment was higher than expected for those receiving in-class student-only materials and lower than expected for those receiving student/parent take-home…

The development of national minimum educational standards for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) began in 1988 with the deliberations of a national task force that created performance expectations in a number of subjects. In 1988 the development of nationally standardized tests reflecting these standards began. This document presents the…