This paper provides information about Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), a comprehensive standards-based test. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Inform and improve classroom instruction; (2) Evaluate student, school, and district performance according to Massachusetts Curriculum Framework content standards and MCAS performance…

This report complies with the requirements established in T.C.A. (Tennessee Code Annotated) Section 49-1-302(a)(10). The act directs the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to provide a report to the Governor and General Assembly, all public schools, and institutions of higher learning and their respective…

The educational standards, instruction, and testing of mathematics remain a controversial subject in the United States. Given the significant and growing need for mathematics remediation, it is reasonable to question how well individual states are preparing its high school students to succeed. This evaluation examines the correlation between the…

This report, prepared for the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education by the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC), provides a final list of recommended college readiness reference standards to be used as part of the South Carolina Course Alignment Project (SCCAP). The purpose of these standards is to serve as a common reference point…

The purpose of this study was to examine the academic preparation of students with disabilities who plan to attend a four year college or university upon graduating from high school in the Participating School System. The study employed a measure of high school academic course rigor developed by Horn and Kojaku (2001) to measure the academic…

This paper provides information about California High School Exit Examination, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' knowledge and skill levels relative to those needed for entry-level employment; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state…

This paper provides information about Oregon State Assessment System. Its purpose is to assess proficiency in the Essential Skills for the purpose of earning a regular or modified high school diploma. Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is also used for federal accountability purposes under No Child Left Behind. [For the main report,…

American high schools have a major gap to close--a gap that threatens not only the future of the students they serve but of the nation as well. At a time when postsecondary education or training has increasingly become a must for young people, most students continue to leave high schools unprepared to pursue those options. Until recently, there…

This case study analyzes five science courses of a United States virtual charter school. Online quizzes and exams are provided by the corporate partner, while local teachers have selected report topics, virtual labs and at-home labs for students to complete. These assessments were coded for their correlation to the cognitive levels of the revised…

Since 2002, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at The George Washington University, a national advocate for public education and improving public schools, has been studying state high school exit examinations--tests students must pass to receive a high school diploma. This year marks the 11th year CEP has reported on exit exams in order to help…

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, is a federally-funded system of grants that focuses on preparing low-income students to enter and succeed in postsecondary educational programs. GEAR UP grants extend across 6 school years and require that funded districts begin providing grant services to students no…

This paper provides information about Alabama High School Graduation Exam, 3rd Edition, a comprehensive standards-based exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (2) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state curriculum; (3) Increase alignment of local curriculum…

This paper provides information about South Carolina's High School Assessment Program. The purpose of the test is to: (1) Demonstrate students' achievement based on selected South Carolina academic standards; (2) Provide data to state policymakers on student attainment of state education goals to inform educational policy decisions; and (3) Meet a…

Achieve has put together a set of materials--"Taking Root: Strategies for Sustaining the College- and Career-Ready Agenda"--that seeks to help states develop and implement strategies to support the sustainability of the college- and career-ready agenda. This sustainability audit was created for states to use to evaluate their own…

High school teachers and administrators are often shocked to learn that universities consider their graduates unprepared for college work. They're especially chagrined when their most successful students seem ill prepared for college work. Author Kevin St. Jarre proposes that secondary schools spend more effort on ensuring that students know how…