This digest focuses on academic testing and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Ideally, test results should be used to improve student learning. Proponents of high-stakes testing say it is needed to measure student achievement and school quality and to hold students and teachers accountable. High-stakes testing is also used to…

A study compared the performance of 44 applicants seeking admission to an alternative high school (n=19) and nursing assistant program (n=25) at a Wisconsin postsecondary institution on the Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) test and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. (Applicants who did not achieve a minimum score on ASSET then…

The Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 substantially revised the Title I program for disadvantaged children. Some of the most far-reaching changes relate to testing and accountability. States will now need to develop their own assessments and ensure that these assessments are aligned with challenging state standards linked to educational…

The "Principles and Indicators for Student Assessment Systems" of the National Forum on Assessment, 1995, proposes a view of testing and assessment in elementary and secondary education that challenges the basic concepts and practices underlying the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" of the American…

Available test score evidence does not support the common claim that student achievement has declined. On the other hand, the existing evidence cannot be used to prove that student achievement has risen. This paper offers reasons why student achievement in the past cannot be compared accurately with student achievement today: (1) tests, curricula,…

A number of political issues are involved in educational testing and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Many school officials are disturbed by the number of tests administered and the information and instructional time lost; they are reluctant to accede to further voluntary testing programs which might duplicate current…

These combined proceedings summarize presentations of two conference programs designed to address state-mandated student achievement issues. Dr. Terrel Bell delivered the keynote speech at a teleconference focusing on a broad perspective of competency testing. He discussed testing problems, as well as positive aspects such as comparison, diagnosis…

Limitations seen in traditional educational procedures are discussed, and three new directions are suggested as being important emphases for testing. A new perception of measurement in which children have positions along particular concept dimensions or "lines" is discussed in terms of traditional testing notions including variables, item banks…

Contains 11 articles about educational testing focused on the topics of guidance and information management, student achievement, mathematics teaching/learning, test score interpretation, alternatives to standardized testing, evaluation of multicultural and exceptional children, learning/cognitive training assessment models, and "blue…

This analysis of testing as a social institution covers contemporary testing, from tests of integrity, truthfulness, and drug tests (authenticity tests) through tests of achievement, intelligence, and vocational interest (qualifying tests). It is argued that tests both construct social persons and control and dominate them. (SLD)

Although British psychologist Francis Galton lost the battle for the definition of intelligence in his own time, his views live on in the work of Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray. They argue that the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is an adequate measure of intelligence, and that IQ is highly heritable. They contend that there are racial and…

Intended as a guide in the development of a sound evaluation program utilizing both instructor-produced and standardized tests, this booklet presents a practical, understandable rationale for the development and use of both kinds of testing in the educational setting. Section I discusses the functions of measurement, offering a rationale for…

The major purpose of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is to provide information useful for improving the quality of American elementary and secondary schools. NAEP has focused more on the measurement of academic achievement than on the need for information on learning contexts. Additional information is needed about why…

A survey of testing practices at two-year colleges was conducted by the American College Testing Program (ACT) and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) to gather information about the use of tests in admissions, placement, and program completion. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,303 two-year institutions,…

The increasing use of educational tests to establish the accountability, credibility, and viability of educational programs is paralleled with increasing criticism of the "accountability through testing" philosophy. To analyze the relevancy and appropriateness of tests for educational decision making at the school district level, three…