.20 Since The 1990s To Reform The Basic Education Students' Academic Evaluation

The U. S. A has been taking a series of reform on the assessment of the student achievement as an important policy to go with the state' s fundamental education reform since 1990s. The reform this time is based on the one that occurred in the 1980s. It started from the day the national curriculum standards were brought forth. It is a result of the adjustment and rethinking of the preceded policies. The assessment reform this time, although tackling the same problem, which is still to change the lag-behind situation in the international comparison with the western industrial countries, is not the same with any previous reforms. Firstly, the Federal Government has been intervening in the educational policies of the states and districts by legislation and funding; on the other hand, the states and districts are paying more and more attention to the Federal policies. Secondly, the reform this time not only nailed down the important role the "high-stake" test is going to play to improve the fundamental education quality, but also pay a lot attention to the variability of tests and assessments, for example, to combine the quantitative assessment and qualitative assessment into one test when assessing the students. Lastly, renew the spectrum of accountability. In the new accountability system, not only the teachers, schools and students should bear the consequences of the achievement, but the educational administration and even the whole society should take the responsibility of improving the quality of the fundamental education. This paper analyses the whole reform mainly into four aspects below:Firstly, the cause and the background of the reform. This refers to the international comparison and the appeals from domestic.Secondly, the main measures and actions of the reform. This is divided into two parts: the qualitative assessment reform and the accountability-related reform.Thirdly, the influence of the reform. This includes both its positive effect and the negative one.Fourthly, the development and trend of the reform. This part analyses the trend and development of the reform on the base of its status quo.More besides, this thesis expounds the history of student performance assessment in fundamental education in U. S. and analyses the characteristics of the reforms that happened since World War II. On the base of this, the thesis compared the current reform to its preceding ones, and found that it is different in three ways: emphasizing the use of High-stake test, the development of the accountability and the use of variable and flexible assessment methods.The paper at last discussed the "High-stake" test problem, accountability problem and the problem of how to develop a consistent but flexible assessment system that occurred in the reform of our country, and reached its conclusion as below:First, the "high-stake" test that caused by high-expectation and high-requirement is also an important aspect of improving student performance and thus has its positive function; second, to emphasize consistency and variability is an important aspect in the development of the student achievement;and at last, to improve the quality of the education, another way is to bring the positive and developing function of the student achievement assessment.