Using the Results of a National Assessment of Educational Achievement

This book describes effective approaches to reporting and using data from national educational assessment exercises in order to improve the quality of students; learning. Chapter 1 outlines some of the main factors affecting the utilization and non-utilization of national assessment findings. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the types of report that are needed to inform users of the findings of an assessment. Chapter 4 outlines general issues that merit consideration in translating assessment findings into policy and action. This is followed by chapters on the specific uses of national assessment data for policy and educational management, for teaching, and to promote public awareness. The concluding chapter identifies conditions that are likely to optimize use of the findings of a national assessment and suggests ways in which national assessment activities could be modified and enhanced with a view to increasing their value to users.