The use of portfolios is a rather recent innovation in teaching the language arts. A characteristic of the portfolio process is that students are led to notice their own progress through the work included in the portfolio. Many educators welcome the portfolio process because they recognize that standardized tests do not tell enough about what…

A comparison of normative data for the 1976 and 1978 Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) showed standard scores are comparable, except on Spelling II, but grade ratings are not comparable at the upper ends of the distributions. (Author)

The author appraises the first report--on primary maths--of the APU primary survey unit which was designed as an assessment of sample selected age groups in primary and secondary schools to provide a general picture of performance. (Author/KC)

Argues that in its testing procedures, announcements of results, and methods of review, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is becoming a testing company when it should be becoming a professional certification agency. Discusses standards-based scoring, local certification versus national certification, individual applications…

Ultimately, student progress depends on teacher quality and motivation, the resources and support that teachers receive, and students' own efforts. Uninspired teachers should watch more innovative colleagues and accept their constructive suggestions. Nurturing a pedagogical culture of collaboration should lie at the heart of efforts to improve…

Chronicles the nation's testing madness, highlighting the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System's foibles, including its categorizations of "test-effective" teachers. Examines research on private/public school comparisons, failure of a Chilean voucher system, a privatization conference's testimonial proceedings, the class-size…

Presents highlights from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 Science Assessment, including average scores and achievement-level performance at the national and state levels. Results show no change in national average scores at grades 4 and 8 and a decline at grade 12, with few changes overall in students' 2000 achievement…

Describes three-step process principals can use to collect and compile student test data from teachers on a regular basis: Asking for test data; deciding what to ask for; and supervising the data-reporting process. Asserts that data-collection process will benefit teachers' classroom practices and student achievement. (PKP)

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…

This report concludes the first series of reports on the "Challenge to Lead" goals. It includes an action agenda, "From Goals to Results ... Making It Happen," that can help states make progress toward their goals. This report also summarizes the conclusions and recommendations from the earlier. The first 11 reports chronicle a…

This study was conducted to determine the positive or negative relationship between school athletic program participation and the academic achievement of students in the 4th through 11th grades as measured by the California Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS). CTBS tests are taken in grades 4 and 11 and their scores are compared to scores from students…

Large gains in scores have been observed over the first years of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) program. The extent to which these gains in scores indicate that student learning improved was evaluated. Previous studies have suggested that KIRIS score gains might be appreciably inflated, something that might result…

A model for summarizing test scores and using them to modify instructional programs is presented. The proposed model consists of two types of summaries of the data gathered through standardized tests. The first summary contains individual and single class results. Information in a "Class Item Response Record" chart provides individual student…

The "Instructional Improvement Digest" communicates advisory information about practical courses of action that can be implemented by teachers and administrators to improve key areas of school instruction. The series digest topics draws upon inquiry associated with the Southwest Regional Laboratory for Educational Research and Development's…

Traditional test scoring does not allow the examination of differences among subjects obtaining identical raw scores on the same test. A configuration scoring paradigm for identical raw scores, which provides for such comparisons, is developed and illustrated. (Author)