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Raising Test Scores for All Students
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Raising Test Scores for All Students
An Administrator's Guide to Improving Standardized Test Performance


March 2003 | 152 pages | Corwin

Finally—a school improvement plan that raises standardized test scores and improves your students' performance!

Standardized tests are so widely used in public schools, they seem to have been around forever. On the contrary, standardized testing as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon, and in today's classrooms and schools the stakes have never been higher. For students, test results may determine whether they are promoted from one grade to another or if they receive their high school diplomas.  For teachers, the pressures are equally great.  Student outcomes on standardized tests are often directly linked to annual evaluations, pay raises, and even future employment. And for school administrators, these tests can determine the reputation of a school and be the basis for public rewards or demoralizing sanctions.   

Raising Test Scores for All Students marries knowledge about testing and test preparation with school improvement, providing a comprehensive guide for administrators looking for a systemic approach to the challenge of standardized testing. Eugene Kennedy includes a concise overview of the history and research on testing, case studies, flow charts and forms, as well as a four-step approach to improving performance:

  • Step 1: Adopting a Systemic Approach to Improvement and Change
  • Step 2: Aligning the Educational Process with the Desired Outcome
  • Step 3: Aligning the Education Process with Inputs
  • Step 4: Creating Positive Change

. . . Plus strategies and techniques for motivating all your students. This innovative approach is an invaluable tool for any educator!


 
Preface
 
About the Author
 
1. A Review of the Nature of Standardized Tests
A Brief History of Standardized Testing in America

 
Basic Characteristics of a Standardized Test

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
 
2. Standardized Test Preparation for Schools: A Model
The Bandwagon of School Change

 
Lessons Learned and the Essential Elements of School Change

 
A Model for Changing Student Outcomes on Standardized Tests

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
 
3. Adopting a Systemic Approach to Improvement and Change
What Is Systemic Change?

 
Creating an Environment for Positive Systemic Change

 
Steps Toward Realizing Systemic Change for Test Preparation

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
 
4. Aligning with the Educational Process With Desired Outcomes
Defining the Outcome

 
Determining Information Needs of Stakeholders

 
Collecting and Analyzing Data on School Test Preparation Practices

 
Analyzing and Summarizing School Test Data

 
Identifying and Prioritizing Problem Areas

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
 
5. Aligning the Educational Process With Inputs
Techniques of Data Collection

 
Factors Which Impede Standardized Test Performance

 
Teacher and Staff Characteristics Which Impede Students' Standardized Test Performance

 
Social and Environmental Factors Which Impede Students' Standardized Test Performance

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
 
6. Creating Positive Change
Identify the Causes of the Problems

 
Identify Solutions to the Problems

 
Develop a School Improvement Plan

 
Conclusion

 
Sources of Information and Additional Readings

 
Leslie Jones-Hamilton, Ph.D.
7. A Case Study of an Elementary School
The Setting

 
Washington Elementary School

 
Language Arts Percentile Ranks: Trends

 
 
8. Conclusion
 
References
 
Index
Key features
  • Author has over 20 years experience in educational testing and measurement
  • Content has been refined through feedback received from workshops at the state, district, and school level
  • Informal and practical approach
  • Will feature checklists, forms, timelines, tables, flowcharts, and other visual materials

 

For instructors

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ISBN: 9781483360676

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ISBN: 9780761945277
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