This collection presents evaluation reports on 52 Atlanta (Georgia) public schools. Critical questions and key findings are presented for each school in the areas of: (1) general descriptive characteristics, such as enrollment, student mobility, Chapter 1 services, and prior experiences of students; (2) performance-based achievement on Georgia…

April 1990 marked the tenth year of the effort mandated by the Arizona State Legislature to assess student performance through nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement testing in reading, grammar, and mathematics for students in grades 1 through 12. This was the sixth year the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were administered to students in…

Results are presented for the 1985-86 administration of achievement tests in the Atlanta (Georgia) Public Schools. The following norm-referenced, standardized tests were administered: California Achievement Tests (CAT) in kindergarten; Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) in grades 1 to 8; and Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) in grades 9 to…

Two projects that have explored the feasibility of computer-generated verbal score reports for the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are reported. The first, the Madison Project, designed, produced, and evaluated computer-generated testing reports that were useful to teachers and informative to parents. The reports, which were narrative in format, were…

Research on an interpretation technique (IT) for using the Pupil Item Response Record (PIRR) of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) to actively involve students in their test interpretation was presented. The major concern of the study was to determine whether the IT had any impact on attitudes toward or knowledge about the ITBS. Students in…

Content analyses for sex bias were conducted on items from three widely-used achievement tests which together span the grade levels 1-12. A significant but modest correlation was found between an item's content bias and performance on that item by male and female students. (SJL)

One of the most pressing needs in gifted education, and in education in general, is how to conduct a responsible evaluation. In this article, the author discusses one of the most important procedures in program evaluation, which is to distinguish between summative evaluation and formative evaluation. In summative evaluation, the data is being…

This research examines the effects of test format on achievement-test performances of Black children. Multiple-choice test items containing distractors (e.g., all correct, all incorrect) penalize Black children, since distractors appear to serve as blocking agents. The results also suggest that distractors encourage guessing. (Author/DOW)

Teachers from the Austin Independent School District were identified as providing exemplary instruction to elementary Hispanic limited English proficient (LEP) students based on a comparison of predicted versus actual achievement scores in reading, language, and math. Predicted performance was based on equations generated by stepwise linear…

Nongraded programs attempt to individualize instruction through the systematic assignment and reassignment of the pupil to classes consistent with his performance level. This evaluation of the nongraded program at Powel Elementary School (Grades 1-6) indicated that individualization of instruction did occur at Powel and that the pupils'…

This report provides descriptive information for public officials and the general public about Maryland's public schools. It is the second report required by the Maryland Educational Accountability Act. This second report contains information about: the implementation of the Maryland Accountability Program on the State and local school system…

This study investigates the relationship between the length of the school year and student achievement on standardized tests. Achievement scores of students from two different school systems were analyzed. Comparisons showed that increasing the length of the school year would not produce marked change in test scored performance. (Author/JAZ)

When used appropriately, standardized assessments can assist education reform by tracking individual or group progress and achievement levels and indicating college readiness. Credibility and validity can be improved by preventing student exclusions, using multiple indicators, stressing year-to-year performance, monitoring consequences, and…

In their effort to provide quality programing for their diverse student body, the Des Moines Public Schools continually evaluate their teaching and student outcomes. This report presents results about student performance on the following tests: (1) Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS); (2) Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED); (3) American…

The SuccessMaker[R] program is a set of computer-based courses used to supplement regular classroom reading instruction in grades K-8. Using adaptive lessons tailored to a student's reading level, SuccessMaker[R] aims to improve understanding in areas such as phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and concepts of…