| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2007 REL SOUTHWEST RELEASES RESEARCH EXAMINING ALIGNMENT BETWEEN TEXAS SCIENCE ASSESSMENT STANDARDS AND THE 2009 NAEP
SAN ANTONIO – The Regional Educational Laboratory – Southwest (REL Southwest), run by Edvance Research (formerly run by SEDL), has released research findings which address the question, “To what extent do current Texas state science assessment standards cover the content on which NAEP 2009 assessments will be based?” The research report, Aligning Science Assessment Standards: Texas and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), was developed to give education professionals and policymakers a head-start in determining where they might begin to make changes in their assessment standards and specifications to develop an assessment system more closely aligned to that used for the NAEP.
Dr. Eric Rolfhus, Senior Researcher, REL Southwest at Edvance Research and author on the study, commented, “The goal of education research is to provide valuable data that can be applied and utilized to increase student achievement. We believe this research achieves that goal by providing information to examine Texas science assessment standards against national standards that will be assessed in the 2009 NAEP”. Content alignment was reviewed at grades 4, 8 and 12 in comparison to appropriate assessment specification content in grades 5, 8, and 10/11 exit level on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Key findings from the research include: - NAEP grade 4 standards compared with TAKS grade 5 standards reflect content statements as follows: 12% Fully Addressed, 76% Partially Addressed and 12% Not Addressed.
- NAEP grade 8 standards compared with TAKS grade 8 standards reflect content statements as follows: 12% Fully addressed, 40% Partially addressed and 49% Not Addressed. Note: Rounding of percentages results in 101%.
- NAEP grade 12 standards compared with TAKS grades 10 and 11 exit level standards reflect content statements as follows: 8% Fully Addressed, 45% Partially Addressed and 47% Not Addressed. For grade 12, TAKS includes only biology, chemistry and integrated physics, so none of the NAEP’s grade 12 earth and space science content statements are addressed.
REL Southwest, at Edvance Research, is one of ten educational laboratories in the Regional Educational Laboratory Network (REL Network). REL Southwest serves the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas and works for the benefit of over 6.5 million students, over 400,000 teachers in approximately 14,000 schools in grades pre-kindergarten through college in this five-state region. The REL Network encompasses ten geographical regions that span the nation with its primary mission being to serve the educational needs of designated regions. The REL Network uses applied research, development, dissemination, and training and technical assistance to bring the latest and best research and proven practices into school improvement efforts. Educators in the southwest region may obtain technical assistance through the REL Reference Desk by calling 1-877-EDVANCE (1-877-338-2623) or e-mailing RELinfo@edvanceresearch.com Founded in 2005, Edvance Research, Inc. is a research enterprise with a mission to be a leader in the advancement of rigorous research, specializing in the education arena. The company is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. | 
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