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Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Method of measurement
- 3 See also
- 4 External links
- 5 Footnotes
Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various academic subjects. Teachers and education officials typically measure achievement using classroom performance, graduation rates, and results from standardized tests.
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History
The origins of measuring academic performance in the United States date back to the 1830s. Education advocates Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe used a standardized test to evaluate student progress in Boston, Massachusetts. Kansas school administrator Frederick J. Kelly advanced the idea of standardized testing with the Kansas Silent Reading Test in 1914. This multiple-choice test was used to decrease grading time and standardize student evaluations. IBM employee Reynold B. Johnson developed a grading machine in 1934 that could grade test sheets by picking up the electrical current created by pencil marks.[1][2] Henry Chauncey developed the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in 1934 to evaluate scholarship candidates at Harvard University and University of Iowa Professor E.F. Lindquist created the first version of the American College Test (ACT) in 1959.[3][4]
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 encouraged adoption of standardized testing by all states. This legislation required states to measure student proficiency and develop accountability measures for public schools. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 continued the ESEA's focus on accountability by requiring states to ensure minimum proficiency levels in order to receive federal funds.[5] In 2015, President Barack Obama (D) signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, replacing the NCLB and reauthorized the ESEA. Under the ECSA, states had more input than under the NCLB over how much standardized tests count toward school ratings. The ECSA allowed states to include, in addition to tests, factors such as graduation rates, English language proficiency, or access to advanced coursework. Brown University education scholar Kenneth Wong said: "In comparison with the earlier NCLB, the ESSA shifted from a policy system defined by federal mandates to one with state flexibility."[6]
Method of measurement
Student performance can be measured using a variety of benchmarks, including grade point average (GPA), high school graduation rate, annual standardized tests, and college entrance exams. A student's GPA is typically measured on a scale of zero to four. State and federal education officials collect graduation rates to use as a baseline measurement of secondary education performance. Each state conducts annual tests at the elementary, middle and high school levels to determine student proficiency in subjects like English and mathematics. These tests are also used to comply with federal education standards.[7] School districts also track student performance on the ACT and SAT to determine readiness for higher education.[8]
Under the ESSA, states are required to submit plans to the U.S. Department of Education containing a minimum of five indicators for measuring student and school progress. The law mandated the first four indicators—academic achievement, academic progress, English language proficiency, and high school graduation rates. The law allowed states to choose a fifth measure in one of the following areas: kindergarten readiness, access to and completion of advanced coursework, college readiness, discipline rates, and chronic absenteeism.[9][10][11]
See also
- School board elections portal
- Ballotpedia: School board issues and elections research (2021) spreadsheet
- School Boards and School Board Elections
- School board elections, 2021
- School board elections, 2022
- Glossary of education terms
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Standardized tests for everyone? In the Internet age, that’s the wrong answer.," September 23, 2011
- ↑ ProCon.org, "Standardized Tests," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ PBS, "Americans Instrumental in Establishing Standardized Tests," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ ACT, "Our Story," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, "Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ Publius: The journal of federalism, "Education Policy Trump Style: The Administrative Presidency and Deference to States in ESSA Implementation," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ National Assessment of Educational Progress, "Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed December 1, 2022
- ↑ The Coordinating Center, "Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): What You Need to Know," accessed December 2, 2022
- ↑ The 74, "Educators Hoped ESSA’s ‘5th Indicator’ Would Paint a Clearer Picture of Student Success. But With Some States Now Choosing Up to 11 Different Measures, Experts Worry Results Are a ‘Hodgepodge'," August 26, 2018
- ↑ EducationWeek, "Approved ESSA Plans: Explainer and Key Takeaways From Each State," accessed December 2, 2022
