An announced aim of the research group for the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) is to gather landscape information related to mathematics teaching and learning in rural Appalachian high schools. Does context (i.e., rural and Appalachian) have meaningful impacts upon the math…

Throughout the 1990s, legislation increasingly required programs receiving federal funding to be more accountable for what they did. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 further emphasized the levels of accountability to ensure student success in schools. For limited English proficient (LEP) education, these requirements have intensified the…

An updated study of Kentucky school district performance since the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) added 4 years of accountability data; compared the performance of various districts; and explored district financial and teaching resources and their impacts on performance. After the initial years of change…

This executive summary describes a study that finds nearly every school in the Great Lakes states is threatened to fail the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements mandated by the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act. NCLB holds schools and districts accountable for student achievement on state standardized tests and schools…

These are challenging times for teachers. Mixed messages, conflicting demands, and increasing needs on all fronts surround them. Each day, teachers face increasing requirements and significant pressures on their daily practice from administrators and policymakers. It is hard to be, or remain, a teacher of quality committed to one's ideals. In this…

This essay is the author's battle cry for help in revitalizing democracy. It deals with the institutions in which the future citizens are being educated. It deals with the undemocratic way in which schools are run. Given the time and space, the author would like to narrow the focus of his battle even further and argue for a revitalization of…

This paper contends that much of the time and money devoted to standardized testing in the United States is misspent. Too many tests are poorly constructed, unreliable, and unevenly administered. Multiple-choice tests cannot measure thinking skills or real problem-solving ability. In addition, many examinations are biased racially, culturally,…

The North Carolina statewide testing program is designed to determine and ensure the competence of high school graduates, evaluate the educational process, and provide public accountability for educational results. There is little law to guide school administrators in dealing with various ethical issues in statewide testing, but there are some…

Distinct multiple regression models are discussed, along with issues and problems related to their application to the practical problem of identifying effective schools. Statistical results obtained from the application of each model are discussed. The first model was implemented in 1984, and the second in 1992. In 1984, it was decided to identify…

An overview is provided of the evaluation of the Lighthouse Project, an education enhancement project that began in one urban and two suburban districts. Its methodology was the context for showing how the focus on the results of a standardized achievement test in mathematics inhibited the implementation of mathematics reform in the elementary…

This paper reviews changes in the philosophy of student evaluation over time as reflected by the elimination of the standardized testing program originally administered by the Ontario Ministry of Education. It presents the development of a more student oriented approach to evaluation as reflected in recent Ministry issued curriculum documents. It…

Extracts from the papers and position statements presented at the National Conference on Achievement Testing and Basic Skills are provided in an attempt to capture both the diversity and the consensus among the participants. Six sessions are summarized: (1) achievement tests and basic skills: the issues and the setting--by Harold Howe II; (2)…

In Part I of this report, educational accountability is viewed as being composed of three types. They are: goal, program, and outcome accountability. In addition, three accountability schemes which are considered exemplary of the kinds of proposals presently made and which cover a broad range of accountability types are also discussed. The schemes…

The heart of performance- and competency-based teacher education, evaluation, and accountability programs is the establishment of empirical relationships between teacher behavior as an independent variable and student achievement as a dependent variable. Before researchers can adequately establish those relationships they need to deal with the…

This document is the seventh in a series of reports designed to provide: (1) consistent, reliable indicators to allow analysis of trends for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico over time; (2) high data quality for comparability from state to state; and (3) accessible indicator formats for use by a variety of audiences. The report…