One of the central objectives of the education reform movement of the past decade has been to improve educational assessment methods. Emphasis has been placed on developing better measures for evaluating student performance and on ensuring that measures are suitable for gauging achievement of challenging new educational standards.
Related to this focus has been a concern with student grades and what they mean. The phenomenon of "grade compression" or "grade inflation" has been of concern nationally. This refers to the fact that very often, large percentages of students receive mostly "A's" and "B's". A recent study reports, for example, that when asked about their English and math grades throughout the middle school years, approximately 70% of students in a nationwide sample reported having received mostly "A's" or "B's" in both subjects. Even in schools with over 75% of students below the poverty level, over 60% of middle school students reported having received mostly "A's" or "B's" in both English and math.
One concern about these patterns relates to the importance of grades and other evaluation measuresproviding accurate information for analyzing and improving students' performance. A second concern relates to the need for students and their parents to have accurate feedback concerning progress in school.
What's New on the Net identifies reports, studies and resources on the Internet related to student assessment. It includes items that are designed to help teachers and schools in their selection and use of standardized tests and alternative forms of classroom assessment.
Alternative Assessment -- ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
American Psychological Association's Frequently Asked Questions on Psychological Tests
Assessment and Evaluation on the Internet
Buros Institute of Mental Measurements
Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education
Evaluation Assistance Center East: Technical Assistance Center on Assessment of English Language Learners
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and NAEP Reports
Performance Assessment Consumer Guide -- U.S.D.E. Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Performance Assessment and Parents -- National Center for Research on
Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)
Special Report: The Battle Over School Standards -- U.S. News Online
Student Portfolios: Classroom Uses Consumer Guide -- U.S.D.E. Office of
Educational Research and Improvement
"What Do Student Grades Mean? Differences Across Schools" -- U.S.D.E.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
"What Does Research Say About Assessment?" -- North Central
Regional Educational Laboratory