This study compared the reliability and validity of two different measures of reading ability, the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) and the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) Reading test and the ITBS Vocabulary test. The data consisted of scores of 377 grade 5 and grade 6 students on these tests, along with their assigned reading levels in the…

The reliability of item bias estimates was studied for four methods: (1) the transformed delta method; (2) Shepard's modified delta method; (3) Rasch's one-parameter residual analysis; and (4) the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Bias statistics were computed for each sample using all methods. Data were from administration of multiple-choice items from…

A questionnaire was developed to assess high school principals' attitudes regarding the Tennessee Proficiency Test. The questionnaires were distributed statewide to the 147 public high school principals; 121 principals responded. Questionnaire items dealt with issues such as policy statements, remedial activities, graduation requirements, and…

The reliability of the Writing Skills Assessment Test (WSAT) given to all entering freshmen at the City University of New York (CUNY) is the subject of this monograph. The monograph states that although the WSAT is scored according to validated and widely-used holistic procedures, some CUNY faculty had expressed concern about aspects of the WSAT's…

A study examined the characteristics that might be shared among tenth and eleventh grade students who fail the "New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills Test" (MBS) in reading. The scores of 15 students in the graduating classes of 1986 and 1987 who had failed to attain the minimum score of 75 prior to remedial instruction were studied. The…

Based upon prior research in the College of Business and Public Administration and the first year of the university testing program at an upper division, midwestern university, implications for testing of older transfer students are drawn. Students should be tested before, or during, their first term of academic history. If remediation is not…

A study was conducted to assess the impact of the Florida State Student Assessment Test (FSSAT) (Functional Literacy Test) on the enrollment in secondary-level vocational education courses. The 67 school districts in Florida were grouped according to population density into three levels of urbanization (low, medium, and high). Ten percent of the…

A cooperative writing assessment program between a college and seven public school districts was designed to demonstrate that the writing skills necessary for adequate composing were not those that could be measured by an objective test. The goals of the program were to (1) analyze the rhetorical skills of sixth and eighth grade students, (2)…

Information regarding state minimum competency testing programs was requested from the 50 state departments of education in the United States in the spring of 1979. The following questions were asked: (1) Do you have a testing program? (2) If you do, what tests are being used? (3) Do you have a testing program in the planning stages? (4) Are there…

This study investigates relationships between teachers' receipt of high-stakes test score results of their students and subsequent changes in instructional and classroom assessment practices the following year. The sample consisted of 722 elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The results indicate that most teachers reported using the…

A survey of minimum competency requirements of state education departments shows that, in 13 states, teacher training institutions must verify students' competencies, and that in four states, teachers must pass the National Teachers' Examination. Florida and Georgia teachers must pass competency tests and demonstrate skills during their first year…

Analyzes the case of a Vietnamese-speaking science student who has repeatedly failed an English competency examination that analyzes essay content, rhetorical organization, and preparation for writing. Raises questions regarding the purposes, development, and evaluation of writing competency tests. (RDS)

Problem solving begins with problem identification. Conventional knowledge suggests that because patrol officers work specific geographical areas (beats) on a fairly constant basis, they come to see where the problems exist; thus, police experience alone can be relied on to identify crime problems. However, few have examined whether officers are…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) assessment of basic skills for college was mandated by the Texas legislature in 1987. Students in Texas public colleges and universities that fail a section of the test--reading, writing, or mathematics--must attend remedial courses until they can pass all sections. They may not enter upper division courses…

A project was conducted to determine formal and informal competencies based on an expanded definition of workplace environmental literacy. A secondary goal was to develop a compact between employers and training program graduates whereby graduates would have preferential access to employment opportunities. Issues that arose during the…