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Testing and Assessment

Testing and Assessment

How to measure what students know is one of the most complex and controversial aspects of education. Our studies explore all aspects of measurement and assessment, techniques and technologies for assessment, test policy, and the use of tests in accountability systems. Our work also examines assessment in the workplace and its use in human resources planning. See also:

Board on Testing and Assessment

Download the booklet, Lessons Learned About Testing: Ten Years of Work at the National Research Council.

Current Projects

Committee for the Five Year (2009-2013) Summative Evaluation of the District of Columbia's Public Schools The committee will write a consensus evaluation report that describes changes in the public schools during the period from 2009 to 2013 and also addresses the questions outlined in the PERAA legislation about effects on business practices; human resources operations and human capital strategies; academic plans; and student achievement.

Developing Assessment of Science Proficiency in K-12 The committee will make recommendations for strategies for developing assessments that validly measure student proficiency in science as laid out in the new K-12 science education framework....

Reports of Interest

	Assessing 21st Century Skills: Summary of a Workshop (BOTA) 2011 The routine jobs of yesterday are being replaced by technology and/or shipped off-shore. In their place, job categories that require knowledge management, abstract reasoning, and personal services... Read more

	Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education (BOTA) 2011 In recent years there have been increasing efforts to use accountability systems based on large-scale tests of students as a mechanism for improving student achievement. The federal No Child Left... Read more

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	Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards—This report offers guidance to district and school leaders and teachers on necessary steps for putting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into practice. ►Read more
	The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences: Given the minimal impact of long prison sentences on crime prevention and the negative consequences of high incarceration rates, this report from the Committee on Law and Justice concludes that the nation should revise current policies to significantly reduce imprisonment rates. ► Read More
	Understanding the U.S. Illicit Tobacco Market reviews the nature of illicit tobacco markets, evidence for policy effects, and variations among different countries with a focus on implications for the United States. ► Read more