The path from a collection of observations and measurements to a set of warranted conclusions is fraught with hazards. This chapter describes the path and offers some guidance on how to negotiate it. It also discusses presenting results in a way that can be understood by nontechnically trained persons. It should enable the reader to better…

The single most important output of any school is probably the magnitude of its students' growth in academic achievement. A variety of standardized tests has been developed to measure aspects of this achievement; however, only recently have administrators attempted to use such tests to help review and make decisions about educational programs.…

The ten goals of quality education formulated as the basis for the assessment program of the Pennsylvanis Department of Education are presented in detail. This section of Phase II of the Pennsylvania Plan (see TM 000 608) is intended to provide school district personnel with a rationale for measurement within each goal area and a summary of the…

The practice of analyzing all available project children in as large a group as possible is considered not to be justifiable when distinct subgroups of pupils are represented. Instead, the approach suggested here determines the test score gain a pupil achieves from the beginning to the end of the year, with all of the pupil gain scores of a single…