Published: June 7, 2007
High School Assessments 2006-07
One idea driving reform in American education is the notion that schools should be held accountable for performing to meaningful standards for learning, a force set in motion in the 1980s with several states adopting standards and assessments to measure student learning. Standards-based reform intensified in 1994 with the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the Improving America's Schools Act (a reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act) mandating improvements in schools nationwide. The federal No Child Left Behind Act , which became law in 2002, raised the bar for improvement and accountability yet again, elevating the importance of assessments as never before.
Each state now has its own system of testing and reporting student-performance results. Some aspects of state accountability systems are federally mandated under NCLB, while other features are unique to the state. This brief discusses the various types of testing required for high school students in 2006-07 as part of statewide assessment programs. This includes federally-required assessments, end-of-course testing, high school exit exams, and college admissions tests (e.g., SAT or ACT). The state-by-state table presented at the end of this brief shows the grades and subjects in which general education students take required assessments.
Information on assessments was collected from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center’s annual survey of state education officials and confirmed with information found on the state’s education department Web site. Some examples of sources used for verification were: testing calendars, memos on testing policy, test administration guides, preparation materials for teachers, and brochures...
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