The National Council for the Social Studies is concerned with how the social studies teaching profession can enhance learning in history and the social sciences and develop the skills necessary for participatory citizenship. The purpose of this position statement is to demonstrate how testing and evaluating social studies students can contribute…

A preliminary discussion is presented of the advantages and disadvantages of the comprehensive assessment system used to complement the National Curriculum that is being introduced in England and Wales as part of the 1988 Education Reform Act. Some of the early findings of the Primary Assessment, Curriculum, and Experience (PACE) study are also…

Whatever the cause of present-day problems in American education, there is little doubt that proposals for national curricula and examinations are a response to widely-held perceptions of serious problems in the schools. Although national examinations have been proposed, there has been little consideration of their purposes and structures. The…

A survey questionnaire returned by 161 institutions of higher education (an 80.5% return) addressed six areas of concern: (1) the institution's involvement in student learning outcomes assessment; (2) pre-assessment of students; (3) types of post-assessment; (4) efforts to relate pre-assessment and post-assessment; (5) attempts to do non-academic…

A survey of primary school teachers sought information on how and why they tested students. The study was a response to recent controversy over state-wide and school-based testing which raised questions about the relevance of training courses in educational measurement in teacher education programs. It was found that teachers tended to have a…

This issue of a quarterly newsletter focuses on alternative assessment methods in adult basic education. It is occasioned, as explained in the opening editorial, by the announcement of the requirement for use of the 1987 edition of the Tests of Adult Basic Education for pre- and posttesting of basic education students in New York City, beginning…

The validity of grades in higher education as a measure of what a student has actually learned has been a concern to both the public and academicians for over three decades. This was one of several issues discussed in a report by the National Institute of Education Study Group on Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education. Furthermore,…

The first of three documents on Project SEARCH (Search for Exceptional Abilities Reachable among Children with Handicaps) considers methods of detecting cognitive giftedness in exceptional children. It is explained that Catell's cognitive model of fluid intelligence is the basic premise used. Individual sections are presented on hearing impaired,…

The first of two papers included in this document addresses two related problems: Problem one: The appropriateness of existing standardized tests of achievement for the assessment of academic function in minority and disadvantaged group member students. Problem two: The appropriateness of such instruments for the assessment of the impact of…

This final report is the 1972-73 evaluation of the ESEA, Title III project to establish regional centers for early childhood staff development in North Carolina. Chapter 1 lists the overall project objectives. Chapter 2 identifies and describes the project management staff. Chapter 3 is concerned with staff development, attitudes, and practices.…

The Quality Assurance Model for Process Evaluation has been developed by the Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory. It provides educational administrators several alternative techniques for maximizing desired terminal behaviors. By working with project directors, the evaluator helps to assist the program's implementation, providing…

This user-friendly guide offers advice and insight on developing defensible identification procedures and services for gifted and talented students. Special attention is given to the use of multiple methods including qualitative and quantitative assessments such as standardized measures (e.g. intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests),…

This report presents the results of the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment for the nation and for the participating states and jurisdictions. Comparisons are made to students' performance in the national assessments of 1992, 1994, and 1998 at grades 4, 8, and 12. Comparison data are given within and across…

This report highlights the results of the 2002 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade reading assessment for the nation. Results in 2002 are compared to previous NAEP reading assessments. It describes assessment content; presents major findings as average scale scores and percentages of students…

The topic of high-stakes testing (HST) is important because HST has direct and indirect effects on career-technical education (CTE) programs and timely because HST increasingly enters public discussion and has produced a large body of research and practice that generalizes to CTE. A review of HST has identified two persisting dilemmas: policy and…