ABSTRACT
Developmental (vertical) scales are often constructed for subject areas such as reading and mathematics that are taught continuously in elementary schools. In other subjects such as science, and across a wider grade span, such scales are hard to justify. For tracking student progress and school accountability (including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) purposes, it may be more feasible to rely on a system of vertically moderated standards (VMS). The purpose of this article is to (a) describe VMS, (b) present the assumptions that underline VMS, and (c) review the steps the National Assessment of Educational Progress took in regard to the decision to decrease reliance on across-grade scaling in a number of subject areas.
