There is a growing consensus that teacher evaluation in the United States is fundamentally broken. Few would argue that a system that tells 98 percent of teachers they are "satisfactory" benefits anyone--including teachers. The nation's collective failure to invest in high-quality professional feedback to teachers is inconsistent with…

Research has long been clear that teachers matter more to student learning than any other in-school factor. Improving the quality of teaching is critical to student success. Yet only recently have many states and districts begun to take seriously the importance of evaluating teacher performance and providing teachers with the feedback they need to…

Asserts that tests of student performance in economics courses on the college level do not necessarily enable educators to infer anything about what students have learned or the manner in which they have learned it. Suggests that economics instruction be tailored to the individual, allowing for different learning styles. (Author/DB)

Discusses the necessity for the use of test score data in measuring school effectiveness. Outlines the types of tests best suited to particular schools. (MD)

Higher elementary student scores on standardized tests do not mean educational improvement. Scores can be affected by teaching "to" the test, coaching on test taking, and skewed norms. Test scores have been declining at the secondary level. Included is a discussion of secondary tests. (MD)

The Stanford Achievement Test Forms E and F were judged to be one of the best achievement batteries for assessing basic skills taught in grades one through nine. The test publisher provides several booklets in addition to the administration manual. These include the Norms Booklet, Handbook of Instructional Strategies, and Guide to Classroom…

The interrelationships of a variety of student aptitude and achievement measures are examined in a sample of 88 Australian undergraduate students, and the critial role of the data analyst in examining the relationships is discussed. (MSE)

The Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA) (Hiskey, 1966) has been regarded by reviewers as one of the best instruments for assessing the learning abilities of hearing-impaired children. However, there has been a paucity of research on the validity of this test. Further, there is no established test-retest reliability, and questions…

The Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests are specially designed instruments for use by teachers, supervisors, and administrators to evaluate and diagnose vocational achievement for improving instruction in secondary vocational programs at the 11th and 12th grade levels. This guide explains the Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests and how they are used.…

Discusses the gender differences revealed on the science content items of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Assessment. Examines explanations for the differences, including differential prior instruction, differential response to uncertainty, differential response to figurally presented items, and different attitudes toward…

This report describes two studies, one comparing Florida students' performance to national norms on the General Educational Development (GED) tests, the other comparing performance on the GED tests and the Florida State Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II). In the first study, a representative sample of 1,200 high school seniors completed…

Identifies the underlying concepts of student evaluation. Offers suggestions for evaluating musical achievement. Maintains that all evaluations are subjective, and suggests techniques for minimizing subjectivity. Considers various test formats, and discusses objectives for both classroom and performance achievement. (RW)

A study analyzed scores on placement tests and academic performance of over 1,800 first-year students at an urban public university. Results indicate that basic skills placement tests measured academic preparation more accurately than the American College Testing program and that standardized and local tests showed only moderate reliability,…

A vital aspect of music education often left unattended in preservice education is testing and evaluation. Discussed are ways to measure musical achievement and aptitude and factors to consider when selecting a test for student evaluation. Recommended achievement and aptitude tests are described. (RM)

This publication offers guidelines, practical suggestions, and examples for developing better teacher-made tests. It is divided into five chapters: (1) Planning Classroom Tests, (2) Guidelines for Developing Classroom Tests, (3) Assembling and Administering Classroom Tests, (4) Assessing Test Items, and (5) Desirable Characteristics of Tests.…