The National Assessment of Educational Progress' (NAEP) 1992 reading assessment was administered to nationally representative samples of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students attending public and private schools, and to state representative public-school samples of fourth graders in 43 jurisdictions. Nearly 140,000 students were assessed in all. Data were summarized on the NAEP reading proficiency scale ranging from 0 to 500, and results were reported according to three achievement levels at each grade--basic, proficient, and advanced. Major findings were that (1) 59% of the fourth graders, 69% of eighth graders, and 75% of twelfth graders reached the basic level or beyond; (2) 25%, 28%, and 37% of grade 4, 8, and 12 students met or exceeded the proficient level, respectively; (3) from 2% to 4% of students at any of the grade levels achieved the "advanced" performance level; (4) fourth graders within the basic level generally understood simple narratives; (5) eighth graders reading within the basic level demonstrated literal understanding of passages; (6) twelfth graders within the basic level were able to interpret aspects of the passages they read and make connections between their reading and their own knowledge; (7) students attending private schools had higher average reading proficiency than students at public schools; (8) considerable variation in performance existed within and across participating states; (9) females had higher average reading proficiency than males at all three grade levels; and (10) fourth graders appeared to be learning reading through varied instructional approaches. (Contains 67 tables and 9 figures of data; a detailed description of anchoring the achievement levels, an overview of procedures, state contextual background factors, and reading passages are attached.) (RS)

This report describes students' reading achievements at grades 4, 8, and 12 and within various subgroups of the general population. State-level results are presented for individual states that chose to participate in the 1994 Trial State Assessment. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the 1994 NAEP reading assessment and sample questions and responses. Chapter 2 provides overall average proficiency results for the nation, regions, subgroups of students, and jurisdictions participating in the Trial State Assessment. Chapter 3 describes students' reading performance in terms of achievement levels. Chapter 4 focuses on cross-state comparisons of proficiency results from the state-by-state assessment at grade 4. Chapter 5 describes contextual factors related to students' reading achievement. Chapter 6 describes specific abilities demonstrated by students in the NAEP reading assessment and reports student performance when reading for different purposes. The "most striking" finding from the 1994 assessment is that the average reading proficiency of 12th-grade students declined significantly from 1992 to 1994. Other major findings include: (1) the decline in average proficiency among 12th-graders between 1992 and 1994 was concentrated among lower performing students; (2) reading proficiency at all three grade levels was higher on average for students whose parents had more education; (3) at all three grade levels, female students had higher average reading proficiencies than male students; and (4) students who reported having a greater array of literacy materials in their homes displayed higher average reading achievement. Contains 38 tables and 23 figures of data. Appendixes provide an overview of procedures used in the 1994 assessment and describe students' reading performance; cross-state proficiency and achievement level results; and sample texts and questions. (RS)

This book introduces and explores major topics in contemporary educational measurement: criterion-referenced testing, item response theory (IRT), computer-based testing, cross-lingual and cross-cultural assessment, and accountability testing. Psychometric experts describe forward-looking measurement practices and provide a contextualized understanding of how and why they were developed, how they can be used, and where they may go in the future. In addition to presenting key concepts and formulas, the volume covers established and emerging applications and discusses recurrent challenges that require additional research. A helpful glossary of abbreviations is included. The book is grounded in the work of Ronald K. Hambleton.