This volume provides technical information and data on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of American young adults, aged 17 and 26-35 years old. The three subjects chosen for this eighth year assessment were health: (section 1), energy (section 2), and reading (section 3). (Science exercises were also administered in the survey, and will…

Examined the trajectory of change in scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills of low-income, urban third and fourth graders enrolled in classrooms in which the Work Sampling System (WSS) had been used at least 3 years. Results for 2,564 students show academic gains associated with the WSS. (SLD)

There has been substantial interest in recent years in the performance and accountability of teachers and schools, partially due to the No Child Left Behind legislation, which requires states to develop a system of sanctions and rewards to hold districts and schools accountable for academic achievement. This focus has lead to an increase in…

The Polish school education system makes a distinction between two types of assessment: (1) Intra-school or internal assessment; and (2) External assessment. The idea of introducing external examinations into the Polish school education system emerged in 1992. This was directly inspired by study visits to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands…

Authentic and direct assessments of performances and products are conceptualized in terms of multiple distinctions having implications for validation. These include contrasts between performances and products, between assessment of performance per se and performance assessment of competence or other constructs, between structured and unstructured…

Issues and problems in assessment research are explored, with suggestions to help establish an acceptable correlation between student assessment scores and final grades. Topics include assessing instructor grading variation, instructor grade point average (GPA), success rates, and lack of linearity in grade scales. Solutions to these problems are…

An external evaluation of the impact of the Australian Studies in Student Performance (ASSP) Project on schools and systems is reported. The presented chapters follow in sequence the development of ASSP. The first chapter places the Australian Project in an international context and outlines the major questions dealt with in this evaluation.…

The Pennsylvania Department of Education suggests a scheme of what a school district might do in the way of preassessment publicity, concurrent publicity, and postassessment publicity regarding Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) reports. A case study is presented of a hypothetical school district with five elementary schools, two junior highs,…

This report contains the results of the first statewide educational learner pilot assessment in Wisconsin. The objectives of the program were: (1) to develop and refine the statewide assessment process including instrument development, instrument administration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of the results; (2) to provide a…

Discusses a study of student attitudes, preferences, and stereotyping among White Britons and West Indian students in an English secondary school. Findings indicated that factors such as the race of the tester influenced the test situation. For journal availability, see SO 506 785. (DB)

The drop in national test scores has led to many changes in mathematics education. This article presents a historical account of mathematics test results for California and for American youth. (Author/DF)

While other explanations cannot be ruled out completely, the most plausible explanation for the decline in test scores is that school achievement is down. Confirmation of this view is found in areas other than test scores. (Author/IRT)

Few states publish school report cards that contain school performance ratings. Comprehensive school report cards are strategically oriented, reflect front-end planning, report test scores within a broader context, have readable formats, use credible and multiple messengers, and explain how to use information. A sidebar explains the school board's…

Examined outcomes on multiple-choice tests and performance-based assessments for 102 field-independent and field-dependent college students. Finds a substantial interaction between cognitive style and assessment approach. Results suggest that performance-based assessment tends to favor field-independent subjects. (SLD)

Delineates a model of the complete diagnosis process which is motivated by concern that every child achieve the potential he possesses. Discusses the usual functions of diagnosis, the nature of psychological-educational diagnosis, the effects of inaccurate or inadequate diagnosis, and implication for a more adequate process. (Author/PC)