This book consists of introduction to academic achievement assessment, international comparison of academic achievement assessment and reference, as well as theoretical system and practice strategy of academic achievement assessment. The study indicates that the development trends of foreign academic achievement assessment are: establishing a complete education quality monitoring system; paying more attention to the function and value of independent education quality monitoring institution and intermediary organization; the orientation based on the integrated development of students growing more apparent; marching from “evaluation of study” to “evaluation for study”; and placing educational equity in a prominent position. This book is easy to understand and readable for professionals like teachers, educational researchers and particularly those engaged in academic achievement.

Data from 20 years (1970-90) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are summarized. The NAEP represents the nation's only ongoing assessment of the academic achievement of American students. Its assessments of educational achievement of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 are presented as "The Nation's Report Card". Chapter 1 of this report contains information about the students' competency in subject matter across the curriculum and their ability to use their minds well. Chapters 2 and 3 include information about the trends across time related to the performance of elementary school, middle school, and secondary school students in higher-order reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills as well as information about the academic achievement of minority students. Chapter 4 summarizes information about background variables related to education. In general, the data indicate that the educational performance of U.S. students is low and not improving. It is estimated that more than half of the nation's elementary through high school students are unable to demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter in English, mathematics, science, history, and geography. Fewer than half of all U.S. students appear to be able to use their minds well. Although considerable progress has been made in closing the performance gaps among different racial/ethnic and gender groups, the gaps still remain too large to meet the nation's objective of close parallels between the performance of minority students and the student population as a whole. Much that research has identified as effective in improving education is still not being implemented in the nation's schools. Nineteen tables and five figures summarize NAEP data. (SLD)