Many states use a statewide assessment strategy to evaluate districts on common measures. Because districts in Nebraska are not measured on common instruments, comparisons of district performance are difficult. The accountability model described in this paper contains three components related to school district performance on academic content…

This case study of testing in the Albuquerque public schools highlights improvement of test results dissemination and use through cooperative planning, integrated database development, and a partnership with public media. (Author)

The author asserts that using pupil test scores to evaluate teachers is unacceptable because teachers cannot control differences in student background and out-of-school influences that affect test performance. This article consists of excerpts from the author's presentation at the New Jersey Education Association's Symposium on Teacher Evaluation.…

Focuses on objective techniques, a powerful and long-run force in educational assessment. But how successful have individual objective techniques been? This question must be answered for each test. Includes brief reference to an evaluation of one instrument. (Author)

Several extended tests of the relationship between the "openness" of a school's instructional program and student achievement fail to show sizeable or consistent positive or negative effects in a survey of 6,225 students from 39 elementary and secondary schools. (Author)

Three studies evaluating the validity of the descriptors and exemplars of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as characterizations of the actual mathematics performance of students at achievement levels are reported. Serious inconsistencies were found between actual performance and descriptors and exemplars. Recommendations for…

Current discussions of the effects of test administration conditions (i.e., testing stakes) and the motivational levels associated with them on achievement test performance are reviewed. Results of a nonexperimental study suggest that, in contrast to a moderate-stakes testing environment, the National Assessment of Educational Progress does not…

Means of interpreting norm-referenced tests to lead to more accurate reporting results are discussed, with particular emphasis on state-level and district-level data. Suggestions fall into the categories of documentation, frequency norming, and multiple form use. (TJH)

Education can benefit from knowledge derived from cognitive and developmental psychology. Family demographics have actually improved between 1970 and 90 and so have NAEP scores. Three innovative programs demonstrating cognitive science applications include the Teaching Number Sense elementary math program, reciprocal teaching (reading strategy),…

Describes three major expenditure categories and school-level operating costs in eight large Texas districts. Teacher salary costs are the primary determinate of resource differences among schools. An analysis of districts' fiscal and performance data shows that resources directed toward greatest student need are inadequate to overcome poverty…

Fully 27 states grade or rank schools to force improved student performance; some states are instituting teacher-performance portfolios. Accountability is becoming a threat rather than a process for setting student-achievement targets. Principals should work on long-term cultural goals and short-term test-improvement strategies. (MLH)

In the workplace, the test score/earnings relationship is insignificant. Job success does not involve taking tests, but pleasing employers, working well with colleagues, and being courteous, savvy, reliable, motivated, and perseverant. Test-score disparities severely affect minorities' college-admission and employment opportunities. (MLH)

Teachers, principals, school systems, parents, and textbook publishers have been blamed for students' failure to meet tougher standards. Instead, expectations for achieving unreasonable state and Goals 2000 standards should be critically examined. Testing state legislators, school board members, administrators, and teachers might illuminate the…

Two researchers who re-examined a North Carolina district's exemplary SAT performance discovered that this district's gains paralleled those in the rest of the state. The dropout rate also remained high. Most investigations of music, art, and academic learning show positive correlations, but no causal effects. (MLH)

Describes a project designed to deliver statistically sound evidence of improved student learning in classrooms using the environment as an integrating context for learning. (DDR)