A problem exists in grading practices accurately measuring student achievement. Both students' academic achievements and nonacademic factors, such as effort, homework completion, and behaviors continue to factor into grades. This combination can lead to inaccurate representation of true academic ability, rendering a grade useless. While…

Describes practical methods for designing courses and measuring student growth. Indicates the importance of clear course objectives and suggests techniques to assist in guiding student nurses to an acceptable level of competence. (JOW)

Flexible structure in a San Francisco State University shorthand course is described as a way to provide motivation for students. Topics discussed are transcription testing plan, method of evaluation, practice tests, increasing difficulty of tests, and classroom results. (TA)

End-of-course examinations are only as good as the assumptions used in designing them. What is a course's "essential" content? And what does it mean to master it? The end-of-course examinations developed by ACT are derived from assumptions that offer unique and challenging answers to these questions. This brief explains the process used to develop…

This document discusses a study of 36 level 3 exercises tried out in a single, middle-income, suburban, second-grade classroom. The following outcomes were generated for the exercises: capitalize the first letter of a sentence, correctly end sentences with periods or question marks, capitalize proper nouns, correctly use commas in dates and…

This bulletin provides general information about the achievement testing program and a description of the grade three achievement test. The general information section elaborates on the aspects of the test which involve: (1) the test's purpose; (2) the nature of the test; (3) exemptions from the test; and (4) information concerning students…

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide information to teachers and students about the 1988 Social Studies 30 Diploma Examination. The bulletin includes: (1) a description of the examination; (2) an outline of the objectives to be tested; (3) charts illustrating both the multiple-choice and written-response sections of the examination; (4) the…

A series of short courses was presented on various aspects of curriculum practice to enable teachers to review and reconsider established practices, to acquire knowledge of recent and impending developments, and to gain experience in the techniques involved. This collection of rewritten versions of lectures given at these classes is divided into…

A university chemistry comprehensive final examination was analyzed to determine the extent to which it reflected the subject matter of the corresponding degree program. Although the various courses seemed adequately represented, the sampling of topics within a course tended to be low. The appropriateness of this form of assessment is discussed.…

Four factors essential to determining how many items should be constructed or sampled for a set of objectives are examined: (1) importance and type of decisions to be made with the results; (2) importance and emphases assigned to the instructional and behavioral objectives; (3) number of objectives; (4) practical constraints, such as item writing…

The report describes the organization and implementation of an evaluation of the Rose Tree Media Social Studies Curriculum. A questionnaire designed to gather teachers' assessment required response to twelve sets of statements reflecting sound curriculum procedures. Teams of teachers constructed tests summarizing the curriculum of each year…

A study involving four sections of a general psychology course at Delta College (Michigan) was conducted to determine: (1) the effectiveness of repeated, cumulative testing on long-term retention of information; (2) its effect on students' ability to generalize information learned as measured by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) general…

Results of research performed to determine whether or not newly enrolled freshman students improved after one and one-half quarters of composition instruction at Western Illinois University are presented. Using an essay-type placement test given at initial enrollment as a pre-test, 158 students were selected as the experimental group to write…

Traditional, product-oriented testing must be abandoned if instructors in college reading and study skills programs are to effectively evaluate student educational outcomes. Such tests are hardly compatible with the way the brain functions, in that they require precise answers to precisely worded questions which are the product of the test-maker's…

The broad topic of preparing examinations for college-level courses is addressed in this guide. General suggestions include the following: devise a test that reinforces the objectives established for the course; decide upon the primary purpose of the test before constructing it; make the test as valid and reliable as possible; and standardize the…