"Sats replacement ideas divisive" (BBC News, 02/11/09)

Two education unions have called again for national curriculum or "Sats" tests in England, and school league tables derived from them, to be scrapped.

"Do Children Understand How Feelings Affect School Performance?" (Science Daily, 02/06/09)

Do children understand the link between feelings and performance? A new study by researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, Davis, tells us that children comprehend the influence of one on the other, but only under certain circumstances.

"Advanced placement lags behind" (Cincinnati Enquirer, 02/07/09)

Ohio and Kentucky trail national averages in the percentage of high school seniors taking and passing Advanced Placement exams.

"Governor urges statewide Q Comp" (Waseca County News, 02/02/09)

Governor Tim Pawlenty announced his budget recommendations for education in the state of Minnesota last week, which, if approved, would impact public and charter schools in numerous ways.

Among his suggestions were a new method of determining how teachers are paid, utilization of new technologies to help improve student achievement, and providing funding to schools based on student success.

"Study links children's lead levels, SAT scores" (USA Today, 02/03/09)

Could a decades-long drop in the concentration of lead in children's blood help explain rising SAT scores?

"Well-Connected Parents Take On School Boards" (Wash Post, 01/30/09)

For a new generation of well-wired activists in the Washington region, it's not enough to speak at Parent-Teacher Association or late-night school board meetings. They are going head-to-head with superintendents through e-mail blitzes, social networking Web sites, online petitions, partnerships with business and student groups, and research that mines a mountain of electronic data on school performance.

"Giving Choice and Taking It Away" (Inside Higher Ed, 01/07/09)

The controversial Score Choice program announced in June is purported to help relieve student stress, but colleges are being explicitly offered options by the College Board that would limit student choice over scores or result in admissions offices having score information that students might not want reviewed.

"Rewarding a job well done" (Boston Globe, 01/04/09)

Motivational rewards are key to success at one Boston middle school. Concrete rewards (like concert tickets) combine with less tangible motivators (like positive feedback to families) to help improve student grades and performance.

"Building a Better Admissions Test" (Inside Higher Ed, 11/11/08)

Most standardized admissions tests — from the SAT and ACT to those used for admission to graduate and professional schools, such as the Law School Admission Test — promise one thing: to predict academic success in the first year enrolled. Most standardized tests also face growing skepticism because white and Asian students tend to outperform, on average, black and Latino students.

What if a standardized test managed to predict much more than first-year success? And what if there existed the possibility of having standardized tests that didn’t have ethnic or racial gaps, but better predicted long-term success?

"Assessing a Hot Assessment Tool" (Inside Higher Ed, 11/10/08)

The Collegiate Learning Assessment may be passing the largest test to date of whether it can measure growth in student learning. But the study of the CLA also found that many minority students and those who are not well prepared for college show smaller gains on the CLA — potentially reinforcing the concerns some have about how the test may be used.

"Encouraging Colleges to Look Within" (Inside Higher Ed, 11/10/08)

The National Survey of Student Engagement — an annual report providing comparative data on student experiences at four-year institutions nationwide — is entering its 10th year. Now that the survey is reaching what some consider a critical mass of participants, this year’s report finds that variations in educational quality are more prevalent within institutions than among them. As a result, NSSE officials argue that holistic assessments, such as theirs, provide a more accurate comparison than do those using institution-wide averages.

School Leaders: Focus on New-Age Skills

A new survey says that 21st century assessments should be at the top of policymakers' lists.  eSchool News, November 4, 2008

School’s Success Gives Way to Doubt

The state has recently started a criminal investigation into test scores at Sanders-Clyde Elementary, seeking to determine whether a high number of erasure marks on the tests indicates fraud.

Online Grading Systems Mean No More Changing D's to B's

Parents and students in a growing number of Washington area schools can track fluctuations in a grade-point average from the nearest computer in real time, a ritual that can become as addictive as watching political polls or a stock-market index.

Texas: TAKS Test Passage Rules May Change

Texas students in certain grades would no longer have to pass the state achievement test to be promoted under a new school accountability plan unveiled Tuesday by leaders of the House and Senate education committees. The Dallas Morning News, October 21, 2008

College Board Will Offer a New Test Next Fall

A new test intended to prepare eighth-grade students for high school and college courses, not for use in assessment or college admissions, will be available to schools next fall, according to the College Board. The New York Times, October 22, 2008

Baylor Pays for SAT Gains

After several days in which educators and admissions experts nationally lambasted its plan to pay accepted applicants to raise their SAT scores (and presumably the institution’s ranking in U.S. News & World Report), Baylor is admitting a mistake. Inside Higher Ed, October 15, 2008

Kansas Assessment Test Scores a 'Storybook' Success

Double-digit increases in high school assessment scores are extraordinary by any measure. So when the 2008 Kansas assessment scores were unveiled Wednesday, several area high school principals and teachers had something to brag about. Kansas City Star, October 17, 2008

Under "No Child" Law, Even Solid Schools Falter

Many schools, even schools that make progress, are not making enough progress to meet the annually increasing goals that states agreed to when they signed on to the legislation. The New York Times, October 13, 2008

On the Way: Nation's First Tech-Literacy Exam

For the first time ever, technological literacy will become part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card, the test's governing board has announced.

Beginning in 2012, the test will measure students' proficiency with technology in addition to reading, math, science, history, writing, and other subjects. The new test will mark the first time students' technology literacy has been assessed on a national level.