The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (K-TEA) is described in terms of training, subtest description and evaluation, and technical information. (CL)

The paper describes the Children's Interaction Schedule (CIS), an observation schedule designed to measure children's skills or processes in interacting with peers. There are nine categories of interactive behavior on which the CIS is based. The effectivness of the instrument in a field situation, using an interval-recording technique of behavior…

Explores the basis of negative sentiments toward high-stakes student testing and current critiques of the practice from within the education profession. Provides evidence for 10 unintended, unrecognized, or unarticulated positive consequences. Also examines the relationship between high-stakes testing and accountability systems. (Author/SLD)

A model for simultaneous optimization of combinations of test-based decisions in psychology and education is proposed using Bayesian decision theory. Weak and strong rules are distinguished for a decision model that consists of a combination of placement and mastery decisions. (SLD)

This article is concerned with the relationship between assessment information and teacher planning. In the UK, although planning used to be central to characterizations of formative assessment, the most recent government proclamations under the Assessment for Learning banner offer no clear role for teachers making decisions about what to do based…

The content and process of individual psychological testing can facilitate family therapy goals. Relevant research on the Barnum effect is reviewed, and an illustrative case is presented. (Author)

Describes common mistakes made by young children taking standardized tests and suggests several teaching strategies that may be useful to teachers who are preparing a class to take standardized tests. Teachers need to be sure they don't add to the pressure of standardized testing by overreacting to small deeds of misbehavior or emphasizing the…

Considers ways to implement the International Guidelines for Test Use (International Test Commission, 2001) to maximize their intended impact . The process calls for customizing the guidelines for specific assessment contexts and needs and using the guidelines to generate competency standards. (SLD)

Although statistical significance testing as the sole basis for result interpretation is a flawed practice, significance tests can be useful as one of three criteria that must be demonstrated to establish a position empirically. Statistical significance testing provides evidence that an event did not happen by chance but gives no evidence of the…

Identifies fallacies in the logic of performance measurement (PM) and provides examples of the ways in which PM is routinely misused. Also identifies strategies for effective use of PM and shows how PM can be used for monitoring purposes, raising questions, and identifying areas requiring management attention. (SLD)

The International Test Commission formed a 13-person committee of psychologists representing a number of international organizations to prepare a set of guidelines for adapting educational and psychological tests. The committee has worked for 3 years to produce near final drafts of 22 guidelines organized into 4 categories: (1) context; (2)…

Physical educators must analyze their purposes behind grading students. Suggestions to consider when formulating a grading strategy are offered. (DF)

This paper proposes the construct of metacognition as a potential bridge between the concerns of educators and the concerns of researchers who study cognitive development. In so doing, it highlights, as another bridging construct, the phenomenon of transfer, or, more precisely, the absence of transfer. The difficulty of achieving transfer of…

The validity of public examinations as measures of academic achievement is not perfect, and the generalizability of paper-and-pencil tests to real-life tasks is rather low. In the United Kingdom, small differences between levels of attainment on public examinations cannot be attributed to real differences in achievement. The comparability of…

Discusses criticisms of international educational studies and describes ways in which such studies can be used advantageously for diagnosis, identification of "what works," and monitoring and accountability. Presents examples of these categories of use. (SLD)