Three articles on current research in testing are presented. The first article, "Testing in the Schools", discusses the role of testing in educational reform. In the 1980s, the overwhelming purpose of state standardized testing has become promoting accountability in areas of: (1) monitoring; (2) gatekeeping; (3) remediation; and (4)…

This booklet provides parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers with information about achievement testing which is relevant to their needs. The first section presents an overview of the current market for standardized achievement tests and provides key definitions, distinctions between ability and achievement testing, comparisons of…

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the quality of a supervised occupational experience (SOE) program (in terms of income and scope of program) and level of academic achievement on a test measuring technical knowledge in production agriculture. A fifty-item multiple choice achievement test was administered to…

The approach taken by three Texas school districts in high poverty and high minority areas to improve standardized achievement scores is explored. The three districts implemented an instructional management program consisting of aligning the curriculum, filling the curriculum gaps, and monitoring student progress. A first step in the curriculum…

The report "UNO Act Class Profile, 1989-90" in the first of two serial issues presents salient parts of data from "The Class Profile Report" of the American College Testing (ACT) Corporation, which provides detailed information concerning the academic past of 1,359 freshmen entering the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) in…

There are four steps in obtaining test data, each requiring planning and decision-making: assembling students, administering tests, scoring, and recording scores. In assembling students, two cautions are in order. First, for norm referenced tests, students in the treatment group should take the test at the same time of the year as the students in…

Standards-based reform activity dominated K-12 education during the 1990s, reflecting a consensus that improving learning requires state-level curricular standards and examinations. Opponents argue state-imposed standards and tests overly burden districts, degrade teaching and learning, suffer from numerous technical problems, and have failed to…

A number of topics of interest to secondary school foreign language teachers are discussed in this issue. The following articles are included: (1) "Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language via Tele(Video)phone: A Futuristic Mini-Computer Design," by G. Harewood; (2) "Meeting Students' Communication Needs," by B. Marckel and "Functional/Notional…

A series of reports informs educators and parents about the Alaska Statewide Assessment, a program designed to measure student performance in mathematics and reading. The first report covers the 1981 assessment, proposed planning and changes in the program for 1983, evaluation plans, and test scores. Report 2 describes the progress of score…

This report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) examines the status of publicly funded voucher programs, issues affecting the voucher movement, and program research. No legislature in the five member states served by SEDL has adopted vouchers, but several private programs are in place. Proponents claim vouchers offer an…

These four serial issues examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of a variety of assessment tests as well as their relationship to developmental education. Included are reviews of the following tests: (1) the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program, a self-scoring test of English and mathematics; (2) the Stanford Achievement Test, an…

Abstracts are presented of the major conference papers and thematic discussions delivered at the 1978 Measurement and Methodology Conference. The titles of the presentations are: Policy-Responsive Evaluation (Wiley); When Educators Set Standards (Glass); Comments on Wiley and Glass (Schutz); Key Standard-Setting Considerations for Minimal…

State leaders are using complex accountability systems, composed of standards, assessments, public reporting, rewards, and sanctions, to raise student, school, and district achievement. The public strongly supports making academic standards more challenging, despite a lack of consensus on content and outcomes. Some states may revise standards…