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The article reports on an external, independent, nongovernmental effort to measure and report on each American state's annual progress in raising student achievement and improving the public schools. The Education Week journal responded by launching the first edition of Quality Counts in January 1997, with the goal of producing an annual report card on public education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The concept of standards-based education, as described by researchers, was to invite policy coherence where none existed.

Focuses on the efforts that teachers make in their classrooms assessments in Lincoln, Nebraska. Advantages of classroom assessments according to researchers; Teacher's pattern of preparation of assessment papers; Judgement on the effectiveness of the assessment programs.

Reports on efforts by high schools in Massachusetts to help their students pass the Massachusetts Assessment of Comprehensive Skills. Offer of after-school sessions and breakfast clubs to provide academic enrichment; Creation of separate academies and summer schools for struggling students; Failure rate in the test; Focus on reading and math; Recommended teaching strategies.

Focuses on the emphasis of tests in the education standards system in the United States. Importance of assessments in measuring student performance; Comparison of schools and districts based on test results; Use of testing in statewide accountability systems; Need to improve the quality of tests. INSETS: Shifting to What's Tested.;Testing Time.;Too Much Focus on Tests?.

Examines educational testing programs in the United States. Conflicts between basic goals of testing encountered in designing test programs; Variations of state testing programs; Criticisms on the validity of testing programs; Design of tests that raise accountability and influence instruction; Effects of performance tests to instruction; Concerns on the direction of state tests toward accountability.

This article reports on the growing number of U.S. states that are making decisions about college admissions tests for high school students. Some tests are requiring them and even making the exams part of their own testing systems. Proponents argue that having all teenagers take the exams will encourage more young people to think about college and motivate them to take state tests seriously.

This article reports that several states in the U.S. have ratcheted up their performance targets and more schools failed to meet those benchmarks because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Of the 33 states and the District of Columbia that had released information by the end of August 2005 on the percent of schools that made adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal law, about half saw the proportion of schools meeting their performance targets climb, while half saw the percentage go down. As states get closer to the federal law's ultimate goal of having all students academically proficient by the 2013-14 school year, this year's AYP scorecard is being affected by more ambitious expectations for test-score gains, as many analysts predicted.

More schools nationwide will meet their annual achievement targets under federal law this year than last, if initial trends hold up. But parents in many states won't know how their children's schools did until well into the academic year. By September 1, just over half the states had released at least preliminary lists of the number of schools that had made adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, based on 2003-04 test data. In North Carolina, 70 percent of schools met all federal AYP goals in 2003-04, up from 47 percent in 2002-03. That difference can be traced in part to the federal government's giving the state permission to use a "confidence interval," similar to the margin of error applied to polling data, in determining which schools met their targets. Beyond the use of confidence intervals, the federal government granted states more flexibility in some areas, including in testing students with limited English proficiency or disabilities and in calculating test-participation rates.

Presents a survey conducted by 'Education Week' newspaper on efforts of states in the U.S. to comply with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Assessment of students through standards-based test; Need of changes in school report cards; Requirement of teachers to be highly qualified in the subject they teach.

Reports that most states in the United States will have to restructure their testing programs to meet federal mandates, according to a survey conducted by the periodical 'Education Week.' Provisions under the 'No Child Left Behind' Act of 2001, a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); Need for schools' annual reading and mathematics tests to be aligned with states' respective academic standards. INSET: Grade-by-Grade Testing Policies..

Focuses on a proposal by United States President George W. Bush that could permanently change the nature of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program. Terms of the proposal; Reaction of assessment and policy experts to the proposal; History of the NAEP; Concerns raised over the proposal's impact on the nation's educational system. INSET: Governors on Board--With Caveats..

Part I. Examines trends in assessment and new ways of measuring what students know and are able to do. Technical problems with performance assessments; Positive impact on instructional change; Question of validity; Signs of retreat from large-scale performance assessments; Need to strike a balance with the more traditional assessment techniques.

Focuses on the methods used to measure educational performance in the United States. Criticisms of the method used; Reference made to the low rating which some schools received because of these methods; Impact that these low ratings have had on schools; Details on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System.

The article discusses the standardized test Formative Assessment of Student Thinking in Reading (FAST-R), which was developed by the Boston Plan for Excellence. It is designed to aid teachers in knowing what the students' thought processes are when they are finding evidence and making text-based inferences. The make-up of the test is discussed as are the results that the teacher receives. The article shows how the test is being used by teachers at a primary school in Brighton, Massachusetts.

No state legislature adopted a new requirement, in 2006, that students pass an exit exam, according to a report issued by the Center on Education Policy. Twenty-two states require graduation exams, and three other states are phasing in such requirements. By 2012, the report estimates, exit exams will affect more than seven in 10 U.S. public high school students, and more than eight in 10 minority high school students.

This article presents information on benchmark assessments to measure student's performance in the U.S. School districts worried about how students will perform on end-of-the-year state tests are increasingly administering "benchmark assessments" throughout the year to measure students' progress and provide teachers with data about how to adjust instruction. Nearly seven in 10 superintendents surveyed for the journal "Education Week," this past summer said they periodically give district wide tests, and another 10 percent said they planned to do so this school year. But while many assessment experts agree that the idea of frequent testing of students to monitor their learning and adjust instruction is sound, some also warn that districts should take a close look at what they're getting for their money and how they are using such exams.

The article reports that the students in New Hampshire have decided to take new state mathematics and reading tests. In the first collaboration of its kind under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, various states have joined forces to create the reading and math tests in grades 3-8. They received permission from the U.S. Department of Education to use other academic indicators to measure elementary and middle schools' yearly progress. The states are about to release a joint request for proposals to develop science tests in elementary, middle and high school.

Proposed federal rules about how to test students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and include those results in ratings of schools are still not final, eight months after the U.S. Department of Education released a draft version. In the past few weeks, Education Department officials have met with various interest groups as they work to write a final version of the regulations. The long delay reflects the tensions around how to appropriately test all students with disabilities and hold schools accountable for their performance. The U.S. Congress was largely silent on the issue in 2001 when it passed the No Child Left Behind Act, a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that requires states to show progress each year in raising the achievement of nearly all their students.

The board that oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress wants to reduce the number of questions asked of students and teachers that accompany the federally sponsored exams.But at a meeting here this month, researchers and others urged caution in revising what many view as a key feature of the &ldquo.nation's report card.In addition to monitoring student achievement, NAEP gathers information on students' experiences in and out of school through hundreds of background questions posed to students, teachers, and administrators at participating sites.The in-school and out-of-school information collected by NAEP is “a crucial tool ”.

This article focuses on the suspension of most state tests in grade 1-8 in the year 2003 in Georgia, after discovering that some 270 test questions were available on an Internet site for students, parents, and teachers. All elementary and middle school students were to have taken the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests starting in April 2003. Instead, the state will give the tests only in grades four, six, and eight in reading, mathematics, and English/language arts. Kathy Cox, the state superintendent of schools, said the last-minute adjustments were "incredibly disappointing" given how hard teachers and students had been working to prepare for the exams. Added Theodor Rebarber, the president of AccountabilityWorks, a Washington-based nonprofit group that worked with the Education Leaders Council to draft model standards for state testing contracts, "Clearly, there needs to be a new approach to the way states interact with testing companies.".

Presents results of a survey on the response of teachers towards state testing programs in the U.S. Findings about the impact of state testing on what and how teachers function; Pressures from educators to raise students' test scores; The finding, in some states, that teaching had decreased in areas that were not covered by the state test; How teachers in high-stakes testing environments felt about the use of test results to hold schools and students accountable.

Focuses on Idaho schools and a testing plan approved by the state board of education. Warning of state superintendent of public instruction, Marilyn L. Howard, that the plan fails to meet federal testing requirements and might cost the state millions of dollars in lost federal aid; Issue of a contract given to Northwest Evaluation Association to develop a system of online testing for students in grades 2-9 and for high school exams; Provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization; Effort of Idaho to negotiate a compliance agreement with the federal Education Department; Howard's views on grade-level testing; Opinion of Karen McGee, president of the Idaho board of education, that the state should go ahead with modifications to the current plan; Appropriation of funding for the testing.

Reports the plan of Idaho officials to adopt Internet-based testing system to measure students' performance. Administration of multiple-choice exams to grade school pupils twice a year; Selection of Northwest Evaluation Association as its testing contractor; Features of the assessments made by Northwest Evaluation Association.

Reports on Standard and Poor's release of its report entitled 'Statewide Insights,' regarding the condition of Michigan's public schools. Analysis of district-by-district information for school years 1996 through 1999; Increase in the composite passing rate on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program; Gaps in passing rates by race and economic status.

Reports on the delay in the implementation of a national civics test for students in the United States. Reason for the delay; U.S. President George Bush's plan for the national test; Proposed budget for civics assessment.

Reports the preparation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for test changes measuring the educational health of schoolchildren in the United States. Provision of federal financial rewards to states; Standards for student assessment; List of NAEP overhaul proposals.

Focuses on United States President George W. Bush's proposed annual reading and mathematics tests for school children. Debates over Bush's plan; Impact of the plan on states' flexibility in designing their testing systems; Bush's linkage of the proposal to educational accountability.

Reports the call of the National Research Council for the revision of educational tests in the United States. Problems in testing policy; Need to use a variety of testing techniques of student performance; Coordination of measurement systems; Factors considered in development educational assessments.

Focuses on the efforts of urban district group Council of the Great City Schools for the United States Congress to finance the use of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to test student achievement. Aim to compare results from city to city on a trial basis; Commitment to standard as reason for the request; Implication of the request for NAEP.

Looks at the effects of the January 1999 release of Virginia's Standards for Learning tests on students and schools. Public reaction to the results of the tests; Percentage of students who passed Virginia's tests; Actions taken by several school superintendents towards the issue.

Reports on the improvement of Kentucky's test scores in the state's annual assessment. Improvement as a result of educational reform; Students' performance rating; Kentucky educators' eligibility for cash rewards; High school senior students' change in motivation.

This article presents a report showing a wide disparity between the figures of the United States National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the state reported proficiency levels required for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Researchers suggest the pressure on states to meet proficiency targets or face school sanctions has led educators to lower standards or invent new ways to inflate test score reporting.

The article presents information on changes to the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Beginning in 2011, the writing portion of the NAEP will change to a computerized exam as part of a framework for writing assessment developed by ACT Inc. and adopted at a March 2007 meeting. The change was approved by the National Assessment Governing Board in acknowledgment of how technology has changed the way people write.

The article reports on three states added to the U.S. federal pilot program that evaluates schools under the No Child Left Behind Act. In contrast to the current law, which requires schools to meet an annual target, the pilot law measures the individual growth of students over time. Several other states are applying to be added to the program.

The article reports that the Educational Testing Service is proposing a national system to assess student achievement during college. The proposal is in response to calls for better accountability in higher education. The assessment system would test students on workplace readiness and general skills.

The article reports that a new initiative by the Council of Chief State School Officers on the testing known as formative assessment, intends to shift at least some of that attention to the assessments that teachers use on an ongoing basis to modify and improve instruction in San Francisco, California. One of the initiative's first tasks is to define clearly what's meant by the term "formative assessment," which test publishers are now applying to a range of products, from electronic banks of test items to periodic assessments designed to predict how well students will perform on end-of-year state exams.

The article reports that the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a coalition of small high schools in New York state is challenging the notion that using standardized tests and curricula is the best way to prepare all students for college-level work. The consortium is a network of 40 schools that have agreed to use common performance assessments as a requirement for graduation, rather than the more widely required state Regents exams. Students at each of the schools must complete four common tasks to graduate: a research paper, a science experiment, a mathematical analysis, and an essay comparing works of literature.

The article presents a study based on high school students' academic performance in Connecticut's state test. The study suggests that students performance in the test is a strong predictor of their future success in college. The study examined the relationship between seven measures of success and those students' CAPT scores and their scores on the SAT college-admissions exam. The analysis also found that of Connecticut high school students going on to college, more than half go out of state, including many of those who score the highest on the state exam.

The article reports that Missouri board of education approved new standards for its state tests last month that should result in more students scoring proficient and advanced at some grade levels this year. A 2004 state law required state education officials to align the Missouri Assessment Program more closely with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a congressionally mandated testing program. The new standards are intended to ensure that at least 40 percent of students score at least at the proficient level.

This article presents information on the views of teacher John W. Hutcheson on periodic tests. Hutcheson now teaches in a private Montessori school in Sammamish, Washington, after spending 25 years teaching in the Dallas school district. Looking back, he said the Texas district's thrice-yearly benchmark assessments helped drive him out. Across the country, school districts are adopting benchmark assessments to help teachers modify instruction over the course of a school year. Yet many teachers remain wary. Like Mr. Hutcheson, they say their experience with such tests has been anything but positive.

The article focuses on a meeting in which educators discussed issues related to the assessments teachers use in classrooms on a daily basis as a powerful lever for raising student achievement. In October 2005, regional teams from the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other European nations met in Portland, Oregon to share ideas for how best to improve classroom assessments that can provide teachers and students with valuable information on how to adjust teaching and learning as it's taking place.

The article informs that since the federal No Child Left Behind Act became law in early 2002, the U.S. Department of Education has acknowledged that at least some special education students may not be able to reach proficiency on grade-level tests. In 2003, federal regulations permitted states to develop alternative achievement standards to measure the progress of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. For 2005 only, it permits eligible states to identify schools or districts that did not make adequate progress based solely on the scores of their students with disabilities.

The article focuses on a set of studies conducted by the Princeton, New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service, which conclude that how students perform on computer-delivered tests depends, in part, on how familiar they are with the technology. The studies looked at how students performed when given mathematics and writing items from the National Assessment of Educational Progress by paper and pencil vs. computer. The results of the studies were released this month by the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the federal testing program.

The article reports that students who are sick of standardized tests have turned the tables and challenged adults to take an exam that teenagers designed. The General Assessment of Grownups (GAG) test, measures how much parents, teachers, principals, and other adults know about teenage culture. Middle and high school students from California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Texas, and Wisconsin wrote the questions. Participating teachers asked students to write questions they believed young people just about anywhere in the U.S. could answer.

This article reports that Whittaker Magnet School boasts the highest standardized-test scores in the nation. The Whittaker Magnet School is a gross anomaly in which callously ambitious pseudoeducators get what is coming to them. While the school's test-based curriculum, in which students have a test every day in every class, may seem like a "ridiculous exaggeration," he cautions, "it's really not. If that approach got the first lady and the president's blessing, every teacher in America would soon be implementing it.

Florida lawmakers adjourned without taking final action on a plan to let parents or guardians review their children's answers on state standardized tests. The Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill late last month that would have permitted a student's parents or guardian to review answers to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test under secure conditions. Parents receive their children's scores on the FCAT and how they have performed within individual content areas, such as the ability to identify a main idea, in order to target areas of strength and weakness. The bills would have given parents the right to review their child's answers on the exams under secure conditions at school. Parents in Delaware and Minnesota can examine their children's graded tests under secure conditions.

San-Antonio, Florida based Harcourt Assessment, one of the largest test publishers in the U.S. has set up a research advisory board to help guide its in-house studies on key topics in assessment, with the goal of launching, an ongoing series of reports that would begin appearing at the end of the year 2004 on the company's Web site. John Olson, who joined the testing company as its vice president for psychometrics and research services last fall, said that in addition to helping set Harcourt's research agenda, the five-member board would review internal proposals and research papers.

Students in Wichita, Kansas may take more state tests in the near future, and fewer local ones. Winston C. Brooks, the superintendent of the 49,000-student school system, this month proposed eliminating the district's local benchmark- assessment program starting next fall to save money and scale back test-taking. "We're right now planning to cut $9 million out of our $400 million budget." Brooks said. The local tests, given in reading, writing, and mathematics in grades 2, 5, 8, and 10, cost about $1 million a year to administer, he said.

The board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)continues to find solutions on how to report scores for states that exclude large numbers of students from NAEP because they have disabilities or limited fluency in English. Results from the assessment's 2002 reading tests, to be released in June 2003, will not show the scores of states with relatively high exclusion rates, said Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the arm of the U.S. Department of Education that administers NAEP. But, she said, the report will provide additional information to help the public interpret the data, where necessary. Under NAEP guidelines, schools selected for the sample may exclude certain students with disabilities or limited English proficiency, if officials deem them unable to participate meaningfully in the assessment.

Reports on the change in educational instruction of teachers according to academic tests in the U.S., according to the National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. Use of test results in planning for instructions by teachers; Growth in time spent by teachers on tested subjects; Impact of the tests conducted by the states on educational policies.