Report Roundup

Two researchers, in a recent report from the Educational Research Service, take a probing look at how six school districts raised student test scores.

For their study, researchers Gordon Cawelti and Nancy Protheroe searched nationwide for districts that had managed to improve test scores while at the same time narrowing the achievement gap between minority and white students. The districts they selected, all of which had substantial proportions of low- income students, were Barbour County, W.Va.; Brazosport, Texas; Houston; Sacramento; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Ysleta, Texas.

While each district took a different route to success, one trait all had in common was a focus on clear standards and aligning what is taught with what is tested, the report concludes. The districts also drew on test results to determine what concepts needed to be retaught and which...