The present study was conducted to determine how implementing computational thinking (via a proxy in AP Computer Science Principles) into a school's curriculum impacted student proficiency rates on the New York State Geometry Regents. Recent research has suggested that computational thinking is a skill that transcends specific content areas and…

This brief is organized into four (4) main sections. We first discuss the inadequacy, inefficacy, and bias of standardized, high-stakes assessments. These assessments do not deliver on promises made by proponents and that they, in fact, do long-term harm to teachers and students, with a disproportionate negative impact on communities of color. The…

Assessing students' emerging literacy skills is crucial for identifying areas where a child may be falling behind and can lead directly to an increased chance of reading success. The Waterford Assessment of Core Skills (WACS), a computerized adaptive test of early literacy for students in prekindergarten through 2nd grade, addresses this need.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity evidence of first-grade spelling scores from a standardized test of nonsense word spellings and their potential value within universal literacy screening. Spelling scores from the Test of Phonological Awareness: Second Edition PLUS for 47 first-grade children were scored using a standardized…

Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) is committed to providing partners with useful tools to help make inferences from the Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) interim assessment scores. Recently, NWEA completed a concordance study to connect the scales of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) reading and math with those of the MAP…

In this work we examined the content of approximately 950 mathematics questions used in measuring achievement among 4th, 5th and 6th graders in the US in an attempt to determine how the current standardized examinations, which were developed to reflect new national curricular mandates, compared to the old measures used for the same purpose. Using…

As state tests of student achievement are used for an increasingly wide array of high- and low-stakes purposes, evaluating their instructional sensitivity is essential. This article uses data from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Measures of Effective Project to examine the instructional sensitivity of 4 states' mathematics and English…

The need to adequately prepare all students for the next stage in their lives has led a number of states to adopt new educational standards that reflect the expectation that all high school students will be ready for college and career when they graduate. The report "Communicating College and Career Readiness through Proficiency…

Standardized-test scores are increasingly important indicators of school success. But how robust are school-performance ratings when they are based on measures derived from these scores? In my thesis, using data from Houston Independent School District (HISD) and New York State (NYS), I examined the robustness of school-performance ratings across…

Test-based accountability as well as value-added asessments and much experimental and quasi-experimental research in education rely on achievement tests to measure student skills and knowledge. Yet, we know little regarding fundamental properties of these tests, an important example being the extent of measurement error and its implications for…

In recent years, a number of statewide research studies have been conducted to determine the impact of school library media centers and their school library media specialists (SLMSs) on student achievement. Research studies in eighteen states have clearly established the relationship between well-staffed, well-funded school libraries on student…

Good teachers were shying away from accepting 4th-grade positions because of the growing accountability pressures that were being unfairly brought to bear on that grade level. Highly publicized reports of the state's new battery of standardized assessments were scaring off applicants. To address the personnel needs while more fairly sharing the…

THIS INQUIRY INTO THE EFFECTS OF GREATER LEARNER AUTONOMY ON ACHIEVEMENT AMONG TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS COMPARED A LECTURE-DISCUSSION METHOD USED IN REGULAR CLASS MEETINGS WITH A "CONTINUOUS PROGRESS" METHOD IN WHICH STUDENTS HAD ONLY TWO FORMAL CLASS MEETINGS DEVOTED TO PROCEDURAL, NOT SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS. ONE CONTROL AND ONE…

This handbook presents an overview of the New York State Testing Program as well as specific information on the Regents Examinations, Regents Scholarship and College Qualification Test, the Optional High School Achievement Examinations, Basic Competency Tests, New York State Standardized Tests, the Pupil Evaluation Program, Continuing Education…

The manual provides information on alternative testing techniques for students identified as handicapped. The first section discusses the legal basis for the use of alternative testing techniques, as well as student eligibility. Section 2 provides examples of test modifications in the following areas: (1) manner of presentation (flexible…