Writing achievement among young adolescents has become a significant concern. According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) (2000), writing achievement has not changed appreciably in the last 15 years. However, NAEP data suggest that teachers have increased the amount of time students spend writing. In other words,…

The Hawai'i State Assessment is an annual testing program that measures student progress on Hawai'i's reading, writing, and mathematics standards. This handbook provides all Department of Education personnel at the school, complex area, and state levels with information about participation in the Hawai'i State Reading and Mathematics Assessment…

This manual has been prepared for all New Mexico Statewide Assessment Program (NMSAP) assessment administrators, teachers, school specialists, and principals. It includes information about the following topics: PED contacts, New Mexico Standards Based Assessments (SBA), Grades 3-8 and 11; New Mexico High School Competency Examination (NMHSCE);…

Increased demands for colleges and universities to engage in outcomes assessment for accountability purposes have accelerated the need to bridge the gap between higher education practice and the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation. The "Handbook on Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Higher Education" provides higher…

A case is presented for adjusting the scores for free response items in the Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Using information about the rating process from the reliability studies, administrations of the AP test for three subject areas, psychology, computer science, and English language and composition, are analyzed. In the reliability studies, 299…

Two studies investigated the comparability of scores from paper-and-pencil and computer-administered versions of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examinations in mathematics and English composition. The first study used a prototype computer-administered version on each examination for 94 students for mathematics and 116 for…

At Golden College (California), student writing samples are holistically scored by pairs of judges on a six-point scale. Judges are allowed to use plus and minus figures, thus converting the integer scale to a decimal scale of evaluation. In 1991, 499 writing samples written as part of the placement testing process for students in the Coast…

Students will be better equipped for college writing if they know how and by what standards their writing will be judged during their undergraduate years. At the college level, measures of writing skills serve the important functions of admission, placement, course equivalency, junior status, exit from courses, or barriers to graduation. Placement…

The purpose of this writing sampler is to provide teachers and students with work representing each of the rubric score points for the stand alone writing prompt on the 2001 Delaware Student Testing Program. The student papers included in this document are part of the "anchor sets" (collections of scored student work "anchored"…

Designed for use by literacy specialists, resource teachers, and classroom teachers, this book presents a diagnostic battery encompassing vital areas of evaluation based on research and practice, efficient in administration and interpretation, and relatively inexpensive. The third edition of the book has been revised to improve its organization;…

Writing assessment began in Alaska in the 1970s, and the Alaska Writing Assessment (AWA) that was piloted in 1997 built on previous efforts. The 1997 AWA involved more than 20,000 students in grades 5, 7, and 10 from 43 school districts, and the mandatory assessment planned for 1998 will include approximately 28,000 students. This review of the…

This update provides information for implementing the Nebraska Statewide Writing Assessment. It is intended to assist local educators in planning and preparing for the writing assessment being initiated in all public schools in Nebraska in grades 4, 8, and 11 in February 2001. The update continues the series of materials provided by the Nebraska…

The goal of this series of guides is to show Texas educators what components of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum are eligible for testing on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and end-of-course tests. This booklet contains information for tests administered beginning in the 10th grade as graduation…

This manual contains information regarding the administration of the Oregon Statewide Assessment Program's tests in writing and mathematics problem-solving. Parts of the manual address (1) background and preparation for testing; (2) administering the writing assessment; (3) administering the mathematics problem-solving assessment; (4) local rater…

Designed to give primary school teachers some of the tools necessary to prepare their students to do well on the performance based Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), this booklet provides released items from the 1997-1998 MAP Communication Arts test. MAP consists of three reading passages followed by constructed-response items, a formal writing…