Experts said the increases, after years of dismal achievement reports, were surprising because every year the nation's schools are educating more black and Hispanic students, who on average score lower than whites and Asians.
Secondary data, especially kebele achievement reports were reviewed.
Zahorchak helped implement the release of Pennsylvania's first Academic Achievement Reports, and led the development and implementation of support systems for public schools trying to meet No Child Left Behind targets.
She took particular issue with a student data program called the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, developed by I.B.M. and a group of subcontractors.
For instance, in East Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan – countries that had the top rankings on TIMSS average math achievement – reported rates of heavy homework that were below the international mean.
But the inquiry recommended a phased approach should be taken, starting with the introduction of the higher education achievement report (HEAR): transcripts of achievement that give a full record of what students achieve while at university or college.
He said he devised "from scratch" the system that yielded the citywide school report cards: the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System is based not only on test results, but also on surveys of 600,000 students, teachers and parents.
Their achievement, reported in 1952, showed that a nucleus could be transferred from a tadpole to a frog's egg to produce a new frog, in effect by cloning.
The Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, known as ARIS, is billed as a tool that allows educators to share ideas via blogs, pinpoint deficiencies in learning and tailor instruction to each student.
The information system, known as ARIS, for Achievement Reporting and Innovation System, has been controversial since its introduction in 2008, when technical glitches drew complaints from teachers and principals.
The report called for "employability skills" to be embedded in all degree courses, more high-quality work experience for students before and during university, better careers advice, and the introduction of a "higher education achievement report" alongside degree classifications, to measure and record student development.
