This study was conducted to determine how useful students' prior performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is in helping to identify students who are likely to struggle on the subsequent year's FCAT, if intervention is not provided. Specifically, the authors wanted to determine how students are likely to perform on the…

Background and Context: Statewide test-based accountability in the United States began with minimum competency assessments in public schools during the 1970s, starting in Florida and other Southern states. Controversies over IQ (intelligence quotient) testing contributed to the development of "criterion-referenced" exams that became the…

This study explored the relationship between the reading ability and science achievement of students in grades 5, 8, and 9. Reading ability was assessed with four measures: word recognition, vocabulary, syntactic knowledge, and comprehension (23% of all passages were on science topics). Science achievement was assessed with state…

The gold standard in making causal inference on program effects is a randomized trial. Most randomization designs in education randomize classrooms or schools rather than individual students. Such "clustered randomization" designs have one principal drawback: They tend to have limited statistical power or precision. This study aims to…

This handbook provides assistance with developing evaluation instruments for inservice teacher education components in the Pasco County School District. Its purpose is to facilitate compliance with 1983 Florida legislation requiring the reporting of inservice teacher education attainment data based on measurable objectives. The handbook contains…