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Link to: April 2001 Issue pdf. file format (best for printing)

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www.achieve.org Achieve Inc.is a private, non-profit organiza- tion that helps government and business leaders improve student achievement with high academic standards, accountability and effective use of technology. www.execpc.com/~presswis Parents Raising Educational Standards in the Schools (PRESS) is a grassroots educational group of parents, school board members, educators and civic leaders concerned about education. www.nces.ed.gov The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics puts together The Nation’s Report Card, The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – the nation’s barometer of student achievement. www.edexcellence.net The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation looks at state standards across the country, including an overview of how subjects are being treated in different states. www.educationleaders.org The Education Leaders Council is committed to raising standards and results in public education. www.publicagenda.org A non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization that has done signifi- cant surveys on the public’s view of testing. Here are some ideas of what to ask your child’s teacher about tests: Before the test… •  Which tests will be administered during the school year and for what purposes? •    How will the teacher or school use the results of the test? •    What other means of evaluation will the teacher or the school use to measure your child’s performance? •    Should your child take practice tests? After the test… •  What do the test results mean about your child’s skills and abilities? •    Are the test results consistent with your child’s performance in the classroom? •    Are any changes anticipated in your child’s educational program? •    Are there things that you can do at home to strengthen particular skills? •    How do students in your child’s school compare with students in other school systems? Across the country? (Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation). a way to help identify struggling students early so they can get help. Another 76 percent agree that requiring schools to publicize their stan- dardized test scores is a wake-up call and a good way to hold schools accountable. CONTINUED  FROM PAGE  1 Support Web sites to learn more about testing www.ericae.net The Education Resources Information Center, Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. www.goalline.org StandardWorks is a non-profit education consultancy helping communities and schools work together to advance meaningful, lasting, and effective standards-based education reform. Did You Know? • The vast majority support local efforts to raise stan- dards and for using high stakes standardized tests: 86% of employers, 81% of parents; 80% of teachers, and 71% of professors. • 71% of parents and 56% of teachers support requiring students to pass a basic skills test in reading, writing and math before graduation. • Another quarter believe students should pass a more challenging test. • 78% of employers and 81% of college professors say recent job applicants or college freshmen are “fair or poor” when it comes to writing clearly. • 77% of employers and 78% of professors say recent recent graduates’ skills in grammar and spelling are fair or poor. • 60% of employers and 66% of professors say the basic math skills of recent gradu- ates are fair or poor. Source:  Public Agenda Survey, Reality Check 2001