Reaching Students in the Gaps: A Study of Assessment Gaps, Students, and Alternatives
By Staff of the New England Compact
In February 2005, four New England states (Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine) received a U.S. Department of Education grant to explore gaps in large-scale assessment systems that prevent some students from demonstrating their proficiency. The results of this work, Reaching Students In the Gaps, addresses the following questions:
- Who are the students in the gaps?
- Of all the students who are not proficient, how can states identify those who are in the assessment gaps?
- What are the attributes of students in the gaps, and how do these students perform?
- What issues in the assessments themselves contribute to the gaps?
- Are there specific aspects of multiple-choice items used in state assessments that contribute to the assessment gaps?
The studies used multiple methods to explore these research questions, each providing a particular angle from which to consider the issues of assessment gaps, students in those gaps, and assessment alternatives to lessen the gaps.
Contact Info: Caroline Parker (1-800-225-4276 x2740)
Project Website: TMAS (Task Module Assessment Strategies): Reaching Students in the Gaps
Published by: New England Compact
Download the reports that comprise Reaching Students in the Gaps: A Study of Assessment Gaps, Students, and Alternatives: http://www.necompact.org/full_research.htm
Price: Free
(469 pp.) PDF