The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "standardized tests" ...
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Turning schools data into scoops
Vogell explains the value of school data as a rich source for stories on education. She explains where and how to start with your reporting. She discusses out what to look at when evaluating test scores and student achievement; discipline and school safety; teaching and certification; various other valuable data.
Tags: education; testing; standardized test scores; National Board Certification; NBCL; schools; No Child Left Behind; students; school data; student achievement; grade inflation; college remediation; discipline; school safety
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Grading schools with CAR, on and off deadline
Hacker provides advice for managing and analyzing education data. She points out specific types of data to flag and follow up on, and offers time management tips.
Tags: education; data; CAR; schools; standardized tests; dropout rates; graduation; NCLB
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Checking out test scores with CAR
This tipsheet is all about standardized test scores. Hacker discusses different ways to examine a set of scores, such as looking at the data geographically, examining results over time and trying different ways of reporting scores.
Tags: standardized tests; education; elementary school; cheating; mapping; schools; teachers
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SPSS 2 - Doing crosstabs to see the data in different ways, and statistical tests
This tipsheet is a guide to very advanced statistical functions and means of data analysis. Primarily, it focuses on using SPSS to help view the data in different ways.
Tags: crosstab statistics; chi-square; standard deviation; SPSS output
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School Data Proficiency -- California's Test for Journalists
This tipsheet is exclusively about California's state school testing system. It includes all of the dates when data will be released in 2005, and then explains some of the specific terminology that makes this topic so confusing.
Tags: testing; education; STAR test; standardized testing
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A Lesson in Excess
Governments are increasingly focusing on student achievement for funding purposes. "Pay-for-performance schemes are popping up everywhere in the form of merit pay, salary bonuses for teachers who excel and cash payouts to schools that ace standardized tests." Davis and Doig offer suggestions for tracking this money.
Tags: Florida; School Recognition Program; Comprehensive Achievement Test; school districts; education
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Tipsheet No: 784
This handout provides tips on analyzing educational data, including tips on how to use district or state test scores.
Tags: educational; district; state; scores; standardized tests