Assessment, Standards, & Accountability

A Multistate Review of Professional Teaching Standards
This review of teaching standards in six states — California, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas — focuses on the structure, target audience, and selected content of the standards to inform California's 2009 revision of its teaching standa

Alternative Assessments for Special Education Students in the Southwest Region States
This study reviews and summarizes alternate assessment policies and practices — and their implementation and impact — for the most significantly cognitively disabled students across the Southwest Region.

Assessment Accommodations for English Language Learners
Read the research behind this Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) study investigating the effects of assessment accommodations on standardized test scores and test score validity for English learners.

Characteristics of Arizona School Districts in Improvement
This statistical profile of Arizona's school districts in improvement can inform the context for reform and assistance as the state rolls out and refines its district intervention strategies.

Characteristics of California School Districts in Program Improvement
WestEd researchers provide a statistical profile of California's Title I school districts in program improvement.

Course-Taking Patterns and Preparation for Postsecondary Education in California's Public University Systems Among Minority Youth
This study, prepared by WestEd's Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West), examines the extent to which California high school students meet the course requirements for admission to California's four-year public universities.

Diagnostic Embedded Classroom Assessment — An Efficacy Study
The findings from this study will contribute to a better understanding of the general effects of embedded diagnostic assessment on student learning in science curricula.

Formative Assessment Policies, Programs, and Practices in the Southwest Region
Researchers examined policies and programs in five Southwest Region states, suggesting a range of strategies to support the development and use of formative assessments.

Impact of Benchmark Assessments Aligned to State Standards on Student Achievement
Learn more about this study measuring the impact of benchmark assessments on student achievement in the state of Massachusetts.

Measuring Resilience and Youth Development: The Psychometric Properties of the Healthy Kids Survey
This study aims to improve resilience assessment and research so that educators can shape their school environment to promote academic resilience.