This article addresses an important problem that faces educators in assessing students' competence levels in learned tasks. Data from 165 students from Massachusetts and Minnesota in the United States are used to examine the validity of five assessment modes (multiple choice test, scenario, portfolio, self-assessment and supervisor rating) in…

To permit local districts to exercise their option to use standardized tests for state-mandated evaluations, a test rating form was developed. A key concern was the percentage of state approved reading and mathematics skills measured by a test, rather than the test's value for other uses. Other content concerns were readability and cultural and…

A survey was conducted in Massachusetts in October-November 1978, to determine the public's attitude toward the educational objectives proposed as part of the state's Basic Skills Improvement Policy. The objectives involved standards for graduation from high school, and covered reading, writing, listening, speaking, and mathematics. Three samples…