This study evaluates a subjective performance-evaluation regime in place in the English public school system since the early 1990s. Under this regime, independent inspectors visit schools, assess schools' performance, and disclose their findings on the Internet. Inspectors combine hard metrics, such as test scores, with softer ones, such as…

The impact of state-mandated testing on an urban school district in New Jersey is examined in this paper, which describes the evolution of the testing program and its shift in emphasis from individual student assessment to its use as the primary indicator of school success or failure. To meet state certification standards, 75 percent of the third,…

Highlighting the significant reading gains of 9-year-old students and, to a lesser extent, 13-year-old students, this report presents the results of three assessments surveying the reading skills of American 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students during the 1970-71, 1974-75, and 1979-80 school years. The first chapter is introductory in nature,…

Quality of instruction and adequacy of program were examined in a survey of students selected by major areas of concentration. A stratified random sample of 330 students was selected from the student directory, with 55 people chosen in each of the broad major areas: science, social science, humanities, education, music, and business. Telephone…

This Policy Brief describes an analysis conducted with a sample of 5,000 elementary students in 123 K-6 elementary schools in Hawai'i to describe students' proficiency levels and individual growth patterns over time and, based on this information, to make judgments about school effectiveness in meeting performance standards. The goal was to…

Students' standardized test scores do little to gauge school program effectiveness. This article suggests that improving the data for monitoring schools, accounting for schools' varying financial picture, and relating outcomes to features capable of being changed will enhance program evaluation and school management. Some state efforts in this…

Argues that international assessments that show U.S. educational inferiority are unwarranted, reviews the history of these assessments, and evaluates the major explanations of the achievement differences. It also examines the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of curriculum-centered explanations because of their relevance to school reform.…

The New Horizons for Primary Schools (NHP) was implemented in 72 government schools in Jamaica, from 1998-2005. The program provided support to schools on the basis of needs identified through the preparation of a School Development Plan (also called a School Improvement Plan). This independent evaluation report first compares the schools in the…

This 18th "Annual Condition of Education Report" provides a wide range of demographics, statistics, and student achievement data to help Iowans better understand their public educational system. Much of the data in this report demonstrates that that Iowa continues to rate above national averages in areas such as student test scores,…

The educational goals, as adopted formally or tentatively by the respective States, have been compiled in this single document. The goals were obtained by a survey conducted by the State Educational Accountability Repository (SEAR), a program of the Cooperative Accountability Project (CAP), administered by the State of Colorado. The predominant…

The writer calls attention to the many traps associated with one of the most frequent uses of assessment: the technical difficulties of measuring changes in learning over time. Noting that psychometricians don't like "change" or "difference" scores in statistical analyses because they tend to have lower reliability than the original measures…

Identification of schools for improvement of Chapter 1 Programs raises the challenge of selecting the best technical procedures meeting the law and usefully guiding improvement efforts. Failure to demonstrate gains in student achievement has been operationalized on two levels: aggregate performance and desired outcomes. Aggregate performance…

Since the implementation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, the impact upon America's schools has been signicant in many areas. In a positive sense, NCLB has caused schools and school districts to examine the performance and academic achievement of subgroups, often for the first time. This examination has certainly highlighted…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…