Educational assessment is important. But in the twenty-first century it is easy to feel that schooling and other phases of education are shaped entirely by certain assessments, and that assessment is only about exam results. The idea that test grades can accurately describe the aims and outcomes of education is unfair and reductive. Yet it is a…

In this study, the outcomes of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as implemented in Illinois, are evaluated in terms of high school standards testing results between 2003-2013. NCLB was a policy dedicated to closing the gap in schooling outcomes nationally in the space of a decade. There have been few systematic examinations of its macro-level results…

Using test results to improve instruction is vital to improving the education system, but equally important is to report results to other stakeholders. These stakeholders include the students who took the test, their parents or guardians, other parents in the school or district, the local school board, and the public at large. Effective reporting…

The possibilities and problems in the use of within-group slopes of outcomes on inputs as indicators of substantive educational group effects are considered. Slopes are proposed as outcome measures which may reflect within-group processes in between-group analyses of multilevel data. Research on aptitude x treatment interactions, contextual…

Two types of information on the outcomes of education in New York State for the 1983-84 school year are presented. One relates to New York State tests and programs. The second is a by-product of national programs that identify outstanding pupils. During the 1983-84 school year, elementary and secondary school students demonstrated high achievement…

Report cards (RCs) on schools have become common in several states. This study determined relationships among factors reported in RCs developed for local school districts within Tennessee in 1988-89. Every year the state board of education produces an RC for each school district containing student outcome data (test results and achievement data)…

This report marks the eighth analysis conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) of the public reporting of state assessment results for students with disabilities. This is the third analysis that NCEO has conducted since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Overall, a total of 48 states reported some…

This is one of several reports used to monitor the public-school system in North Carolina. This report has three purposes: (1) to assist policymakers in gauging the status and progress of student achievement in the state; (2) to compare student achievement in North Carolina with student achievement nationwide; and (3) to inform the public of the…

The "DATAWave" is a biweekly publication of the Assessment Resource Office (ARO) at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). Its purpose is to inform the campus community and broader constituencies on assessment issues and practices at ENMU. The university's 10-year history of outcomes assessment is reflected in the topics of the 6 editions…

The relationships among factors reported on school district (SD) report cards were studied for 121 Tennessee SDs. The report cards provided data on student outcomes (achievement test scores) and SD characteristics. Relationships were studied through linear regression, Pearson product moment correlation, and Guttman's partial correlation. Six…

This paper addresses 11 commonly asked educational policy questions by referring to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) findings in five learning areas. The paper is organized for quick reference to the 63 findings, which are, in turn, indexed to the NAEP reports in which they originally appeared. Findings in reading, literature,…

Guidelines and implementation options for a program to evaluate the outcomes of collegiate education in New Jersey are discussed. A good program must seek to: (1) maintain public confidence; (2) nuture institutional autonomy and individual diversity; and (3) stimulate educational excellence. College outcomes that the program should cover are:…

Principles of sound educational assessment are discussed, along with current assessment issues and appropriate roles of colleges and the state in developing and implementing assessment systems. Assessment practice in New Jersey is considered. Principles of good assessment include: assessment should serve, not dictate, educational purposes; forms…

The approaches taken by Alverno College, Clayton State College, DePaul University, James Madison University, Northeast Missouri State University, and Rhode Island College in using the results of student assessment productively are described. (MSE)

The purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss a set of standards that can be used to evaluate potential assessment instruments; and (2) to use these standards to evaluate the American College Testing Program's College Outcomes Measures Program (ACT-COMP) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Academic Profile. Using the work of S. Messick (1975,…