Abstract
National assessments of student achievement in the basic skills or curricular domains of reading, writing, mathematics and science are conducted in many countries with the aim of improving the quality of education. This paper presents an overview of the findings from a study conducted by a consortium of research staff from the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago, and university researchers from The University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago and The University of Victoria in Canada on data from such a national assessment programme in Trinidad and Tobago. Preliminary statistical analyses were conducted on data generated by the 2006 administration of the National Test, which included not only the administration of achievement tests in Lanugage Arts and Mathematics, but also the administration of questionnaires to students, parents, teachers, and principals. The findings from this preliminary study suggest that student and parent traits and perceptions are substantially related to student achievement in the foundational skills of language arts and mathematics as measured by the National Test.
