Repeated poor performance by students with special needs on the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress (ISTEP) in an Indiana middle school supported the need for instructional changes. Following the implementation of a full inclusion program, a problem arose in that the program had not been evaluated and effectiveness was in question. This…

How criterion-referenced tests can be used in program and curriculum evaluations is discussed. Topics include: understanding program/curriculum environments, determining an appropriate evaluation model, and standards for determining a CRT's and an evaluation's quality. Five instructional steps are outlined, and an annotated bibliography and a…

In this article authenticity is defined by componential concepts, common to spoken and written communication through language, which frame assessments of interchanges produced for "high-stakes" examination purposes. They are referents for analysis and critique of International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme evaluations of second and foreign…

Investigated two variance estimation procedures on a normed test treated as a criterion-referenced test. The first estimation procedure estimated the standard deviation systematically higher, whereas the second procedure's estimation was systematically lower than the actual standard deviation. (Author/RC)

The educational implications of criterion-referenced tests are demonstrated. It is the hypothesis of the author that criterion-referenced tests have little educational impact unless carefully constructed around rigorous domain specifications. The paper details the process and problems of construction of a series of history tests presently being…

Twenty-two handicapped and 10 nonhandicapped young children were administered the Evaluation and Programing System Level 1 (EPS-1), a measure designed to provide information to develop educational programs and assess program effectiveness. The article notes reliability, validity, and utility data. (Author/CL)

Criterion-referenced tests in a time-series design were found to be the most feasible methodology for evaluating placement in an early intervention program for mildly retarded, learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed children. Advantages included provision of longitudinal data, while the major disadvantage was administration time. (CL)

The installation of the SWRL/Ginn Kindergarten Program on a wide-scale national basis provided an occasion to test the claim that important instructional outcomes may be attained reliably in a variety of school settings with a wide variety of pupils through the use of a systematically developed educational product. Characteristics of the…

The preliminary draft of a formal program evaluation model for special education operations in Pennsylvania is presented. Beginning chapters provide a review of literature on norm-referenced measurement, an illustration of formal and informal program evaluation in a learning disabilities context, descriptions of general implementation strategies…

Enactment of PL 94-142 requires that outcomes of special education programs and related service programs be determined on a regular basis. The problem of aggregation of criterion-referenced test data for special service program outcome evaluation and the strengths and weaknesses of several alternative solutions are examined. (Author)

In studying the effectiveness of different instructional programs, a criterion measure can favor one of the programs because there is greater overlap between the content covered on the test and in that program. This overlap can be measured using teacher estimates or teacher estimates combined with curriculum analysis. (Author/BW)

This report includes the application for validation, the state review form, and the on-site validation form for a demonstration center based on a computer-managed system of reading instruction. The project seeks to provide locally constructed diagnostic tests, computer-indexed teaching materials, criterion-referenced tests, and periodic summaries…

Fourteen criteria used to evaluate criterion referenced tests were assigned two sets of weights reflecting the characteristics of tests designed as a classroom resource or for program evaluation. Twenty eight currently available criterion referenced tests were rated against the criteria using each set of weights. A comparison of the scores…

This report represents the results of an investigation of the appropriateness of criterion-referenced tests (CRTS) for large-scale evaluations. First, the development and validation of CRTS, including the formulation and generation of CRT objectives, items, and score-interpretation schemes and dimensions of item and test quality, were examined to…

This paper discusses and describes an industry-based process for the design and development of criterion-referenced tests in vocational-technical subject areas to support vocational program evaluations. The following topics are covered in the paper: (1) use of criterion-referenced tests; (2) test design; (3) preparation of test materials; and (4)…