With all the focus on accountability, test scores, and school restructuring, educators may lose sight of the ultimate goal of education: empowering all students to attain personal and professional success when they leave school. As such, educators should equip their students, not simply fill them with data. Educators should make their classrooms…

A rationale, goals, and the procedure for instituting a quality point system to assess high school students' academic achievement in Gainesville (Georgia) High School are outlined. Hypothetical examples of converting grade point averages to quality point averages in low, average, and high difficulty courses are provided to show the impact of the…

Presents a study to determine what trends were common and what differences could be identified in percentage of degrees granted with honors. Concludes that institutions must either move into a pass-fail approach with no honors, or return to a more dedicated approach to student evaluation. (Author/PG)

This newsletter issue focuses on the subject of mandatory testing of prospective teachers prior to certification. The following questions are discussed: (1) What are the major types of teacher tests? (2) How prevalent are teacher tests? (3) What are the major teacher tests? (4) What problems do teacher testing programs address? (5) What are the…

A study comparing continuous assessment of a British business administration program with traditional summative evaluation found that continuous assessment had resulted in a rise in standards. (MSE)

The Achievement-Levels Setting (ALS) process for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) resulted in numerical cutscores on the NAEP score scale representing the performance standards for three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. This paper focuses on an important, but less researched, aspect of the standard setting…

This book is a synthesis of work done and expansion of the handouts, reports, graphs, charts, and communiques related to the work in approximately 130 school districts developing standards-based accountability systems for compensatory education. It serves as a guide to evaluating compensatory education programs and using multiple measures to…

In 2003, the Rhode Island Department of Education introduced its revised accountability system that incorporated the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, the Rhode Island Comprehensive Education Strategy (CES), and Article 31, which requires the state commissioner to make judgments about school performance on a regular…

This study helps to illuminate how a group of principals use data in light of new state and national requirements for accountability. On a very positive note, the responding principals reported using data to a great extent in their own practices, and they are encouraging their staff to use data in ways that align with the notion of effective…

What are the advantages and disadvantages of weighted grading? The primary purpose of weighted grading has been to encourage high school students to take more rigorous courses. This effort is then acknowledged by more weight being given to the grade for a specified class. There are numerous systems of weighted grading cited in the literature from…

The problem of maintaining a reasonably unified standard of mathematics achievement throughout the state of Tasmania is discussed. Various test construction techniques are described and analyzed. (DT)

Reviews the purposes of institutional accreditation; general institutional requirements for members of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education; criteria for accreditation; and commission services. Lists institutions accredited by the North Central Association alphabetically and by state. Explains candidate for accreditation status. (DMM)

Sets forth a guideline for incorporating humanism into grading with built-in adjustments that accommodate some human weaknesses. Built-in adjustments cancel or neutralize some of the blunders that are inherent in the teaching, learning, and testing processes that reflect student assessment. (Author)

Describes the pyramid approach to shorthand evaluation (developed and tested by the Business Education Department at Central Michigan University during the past seven years), which establishes a framework for evaluation and provides goals for students at all levels of shorthand instruction, and checks student performance according to reading rate,…

Examines the effectiveness of a library instruction program at Concordia College, a four-year liberal arts college with fewer than 3,000 students. Measures it against a pilot group of students exposed to enhanced information literacy opportunities based on the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) "Information Literacy for…