Education

Grant Awarded for National Exam

January 09, 1991 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Pew Charitable Trusts of Philadelphia has awarded a $1.15-million grant to help develop a new national examination system for students.

The award went to the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, which is coordinating the project with the National Center on Education and the Economy, based in Rochester, N.Y.

Last month, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago awarded $1.3 million to the ncee for the joint project, which eventually could be used to determine students’ graduation from high school, admission to college, and access to jobs. (See Education Week, Dec. 12, 1990.)

The twin grants will fund the first 18 months of a proposed 10-year effort to develop assessments that focus on high-level skills and on the application of knowledge to real-world problems.

Under the proposal, students could complete a series of performance examinations, portfolios, and projects over a period of time in order to graduate from high school.

Rather than relying on a single national exam, the system would allow states and school districts to develop their own instruments, which could be calibrated to national standards in core subjects.

By setting high and visible standards that all students are expected to meet, the project hopes to raise the caliber of education in the nation’s classrooms and to give students an incentive to take tough courses and to work hard in them.

According to Marc S. Tucker, president of the ncee, “the United States is the only major nation in the world in which students go through school without working toward an examination standard.”

“In other countries,” he said, “all students, not just those going to college, are expected to meet a high standard of academic achievement and to take a curriculum that will prepare them to do so.”

Over the next three months, the project plans to assemble a group of volunteer school districts and states that will collaborate in the development effort.

Eventually, the hope is that other states and districts will choose to participate in the assessment system.--lo

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read