Evaluation of "Redesigning the National Assessment of Educational Progress" (1996) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix
Appendix
Pages 13-33
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From page 13... ...
Appendix: Redesigning the National Assessment of Ec/ucationa/ Progress: Draft For Public Comment A slightly mollified version was acloptec3 on August 2, 1996.
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The proposed polio describes changes that will make the Nalional A - emment a more effective monitor of student achievement and make it more used! to the public.
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The recommendations include the following: o o o o o o a o o o o a test annually according to a publicly released schedule provide state-level results in reading, writing, math and science at grade 4 and grade 8, according to a predictable schedule use performance standards for reporting whether student achievement is "good enough" use international compansons where Seattle help states and others link their assessments with the National Assessment van the amount of detail in testing and reporting simplify the National Assessment test design keep test frameworks and specifications stable for at least ten years simplify how student achievement trends are reported emphasize grade-based reporting over age-based reporting make use of innovations in testing and reporting use an appropriate mix of multiple choice and performance test questions (i,
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By law, it covers ten subjects, including reading, writing, math and science. The Nations Assessment has performance standards that indicate whether student achievement is "good enough." The National Assessment is not a national exam taken by all students.
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It is unable to provide the frequent, timely reports on student achievement the American public needs. The challenge is to supply more information, more quickly, with the funding available.
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to measure national and state progress toward the third National Education Goal and provide timely, fair and accurate data about student achievement at the national ferret, among the states, and in comparison with other nations; (2) to develop, through a national consensus, sound assessments to measure what students know and can do as well what students should know and be able to do; and (3)
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OBJECTIVE l: To measure national and state progress toward the third National Edu~ Goal and pronde timely, fair alla accurate data about student achievement at the national level, among the states, and ~ comparison tenth other nations. Test all subj~eci.fied~ng~e~se reading; writ, geography, cince, the art, foreign language, and economics The gap must be closed between the number of subjects the National Assessment is required to test and the number of subjects it can test under the current design.
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From page 21... ...
Civics, foreign language, and. economics also should be tested on a reliable basis according to a publicly released schedule adopted by the National Assessment Governing Board.
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. By: o National Assessment testing and reporting should vary, using standard report cards most frequently, comprehensive reporting in selected subjects about once every ten years, and special, focused assessments as needed; o National Aseesement results should be timely, with the goal being to release results within 6 months of the completion of testing.
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The tension between the need for stable measures of student achievement and changing curricula must be addressed carefully. Recommendatio=: o a carefully planned transition should be developed to enable "the main National Assessment" to become the primary way to measure trends in reading, writing, mathematics and science in the National Assessment program; as a part of the transition, the National Assessment Governing Board will review the tests now used to monitor long-term trends in reading, writing, mathematics and science to determine how they might be used now that new tests and performance standards have been developed during the 1990's for "the main National Assessment." The Governing Board will decide how to continue the present long-term trend assessments, how often they would be used?
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Using achievement levels to report results and track changes allows readers to make judgments about whether performance is adequate, whether "progress" is sufficient, and how the National Assessment standards and results compare to those of other tests, such as state and local tests. Recoil endation: o the National Assessment should continue to report student achievement results based on performance standards.
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From page 25... ...
One possible reason for low response and low motivation is that schools and students receive rely little in return for their participation in the National Assessment beyond the knowledge that they are performing a public service. They do not receive test scores nor do they receive other information from the National Assessment that teachers and principals might wish to use as a part of the instructional program.
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From page 26... ...
States participate in the National Assessment for many reasons, including to have an unbiased, external benchmark to help them make judgments about their own tests and standards. National Assessment data are used to make comparisons to other states, to help determine if curriculum and standards are rigorous enough, to develop questions about curricular strengths and weaknesses, to make state to international comparisons, and to provide a general indicator of achievement.
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From page 27... ...
These include the early use of performance items, sampling both students and test questions, using standards describing what students should know and be able to do, and employing computers for such things as inventory control, scoring, data analysis and reporting. The National Assessment should continue to incorporate promising innovative approaches to test administration and improved methods for measuring and reporting student achievement.
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From page 28... ...
is welI-defined, a goodly number of test questions are developed that encompass the subject, and student results are reported as a percentage of the "domain" that students "know and can do." This is in contrast to reporting results using an arbitrary scale, such as the 0-500 scale used in the National Assessment. lo: a a a the National Assessment should assess the merits of advances related to technology and the measurement and reporting of student achievement; where warranted, the National Assessment should implement such advances in order to reduce costs and/or improve test administration, measurement and reporting; the next competition for National Assessment contracts, for assessments beginning around the year 2000, should ask bidders to provide a plan for (~)
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From page 29... ...
In order to ensure that National Assessment data fairly represent student achievement, the test frameworks and specifications are subjected to wide public renew before adoption and all test questions developed for the National Assessment are reviewed for relevance and quality by representatives from each participating state. An important role of the National Assessment is to report on trends in student achievement over time.
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From page 30... ...
R~mmendatione: o o both multiple-choice and performance items should continue to be used in the National Assessment; in developing new test frameworks, specifications, and questions, decisions about the appropriate mix of multiple-choice and performance items should take into account the nature of the subject, the range of skills to be assessed, and cost. OBJECTIVE 3: To help sta~ and others trek their assessments with the National As~ment and use National Assessment Eta to improve education Vance The primal job of the National Assessment is to report frequently and promptly to the American public on student achievement.
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EVALUATION OF "REDESIGNING THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS" Recommendations: o the National Assessment should develop policies, practices and procedures that enable states, school districts and others who want to do so at their own cost, to conduct studies to link their test results to the National Asees~ment; the National Assessment should be designed so that others may access and use National Assessment test questions, test data and background information; the National Assessment should employ safeguards to protect the integrity of the National Aseessmer~t program, prevent misuse of data, and ensure the privacy of individual test takers.
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From page 33... ...
IT wet ~The Compass series NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS The National Academy Press was created by the National Academy of Sciences to publish the reports issued by the Academy and by the National Acaclemy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, all operating under the charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences by the Congress of the United States. ISBN 0-305-05587-3 snnnn 9 '780309 055871
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