What's the best estimate of student performance on the Common Core State Standards? ACT, an organization involved in developing the standards, wanted to know how well today's students are meeting them. To find out, it analyzed the test results of 256,765 11th graders who took selected forms of the ACT test in spring 2010. In its report, "A First…

Describes the current status of national educational assessment and the types of data now available from the assessment activities. (AN) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Program Description (Historical Background).

Summarizes the main findings of the Advisory Panel on SAT Score Decline, which investigated possible explanations for the continuing decline of scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and concluded that since 1970 the decline is largely the result of changes in the high school curriculum. (JG)

Describes results of study of student attitudes toward high-stakes testing at one Indiana high school and how those results influence how teachers prepare students for the state mathematics and English proficiencies test. (PKP)

Educational Testing Service completed a four-year study that analyzed results from over 400 different assessments and 1,500 data sets involving millions of students. By comparing statistic Ds (standard mean difference) across assessments, researchers found that gender differences among subject areas are smaller than one might expect but grow by…

The author's experiences with short-term interventions show that students with identified learning disabilities exhibit no problem-solving difficulties when problems are interesting and engaging. In fact, studies show that adolescents with suspected learning disabilities can match nondisabled students' performance on complex math problems.…

An Illinois high school modified its practice of sorting students into five ability areas (honors, accelerated, regular, modified, or basic) based on eighth-grade achievement test results and artificial caps and quotas. The school now bases placement on demonstrated proficiencies and offers services to help students advance to higher levels. (MLH)

Results of tests of students' skills and knowledge conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the state accountability tests required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program should not be compared. The two tests are based on different standards and have different measurement functions and judging the results of one…

Presents the case of Daryl, a fourth grader who performs well in daily classroom work, but cannot tolerate testing. Because of New York State testing mandates, this child will probably repeat fourth grade or be assigned to special education classes. Clearly, alternative measures building on children's strengths are needed. Includes two references.…

When used appropriately, standardized assessments can assist education reform by tracking individual or group progress and achievement levels and indicating college readiness. Credibility and validity can be improved by preventing student exclusions, using multiple indicators, stressing year-to-year performance, monitoring consequences, and…

Discusses the influence of public opinion, especially that of parents, on the effectiveness of reading programs. (RK)

By comparing how students performed before and after a schoolwide writing program, a California middle school with a low-scoring reputation discovered that it ranked second in the district in steady student improvement. Effects of reporting the school's value-added results were overwhelmingly positive. Staff and students were finally recognized…

Basing their classroom instruction on the Dunn Learning Styles Model, two third-grade teachers modified certain classroom-design features, including noise, light, temperature, spatial design, sociological stimuli, perception centers, mobility, and intake. Accommodating students' reading styles has yielded superior results on the Texas Assessment…

In the five years since a Trappe, Maryland elementary school put Gardner's multiple-intelligences theory into practice, students' overall achievement and confidence have risen substantially. Specialists helped teachers develop standards for grading students' art work and oral presentations. To prepare students for state assessments, written…