This list of tests was compiled as a reference for those persons responsible for the planning of testing programs or evaluation. Although it is not intended to be all-inclusive, 12 reading readiness, 15 reading achievement, 9 diagnostic, and 10 achievement batteries are described. Two programs of supplementary materials are mentioned. Information…

This handbook is designed to serve as a resource for Alaskan district-level administrators in charge of planning, implementing and monitoring districtwide student assessment programs. The information is divided into 10 chapters, including: (1) aligning assessment with curriculum and instruction; (2) planning an assessment program; (3)…

Present discussion concerns the use rather than the content of tests. Four models of fair selection of tests are presented which describe the complexities of test fairness. Implications for the selection procedures practiced in our country are discussed. (Author/AM)

Both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced measures are useful tools to the classroom teacher, but each has its specific uses. The criterion-referenced measure is useful when one is interested in whether an individual possesses particular competencies and when there are no quotas as to how many possess that skill. It is particularly useful in…

Consideration is given to the degree of congruence between objectives and test items in the evaluation of objective-based testing. An analytic technique that measures congruence is described, and a bibliography is provided. (CK)

Several issues are related to the use of educational tests. First, test users must be able to choose appropriate tests, interpret scores, and make decisions based on scores. In the field of educational testing, few test users have adequate training in these areas. Second, test makers must clearly specify directions for administration, allowable…

This is the third of three volumes designed to cover the problems and issues of developing and managing a formal assessment program. They also offer guidelines and illustrations of several of the more special aspects of assessment programs, such as administering tests or documenting their results. This volume contains summaries of technical…

Explores the history of testing, motivations for testing, testing procedures, and the inevitable limitations of testing. Argues that writing program faculty and administrators must clarify and profess their values, decide what they want students to know and what sort of thinkers they should be, and develop tests reflecting those needs. (SR)

Three papers are included in this document. The first, "An Introduction to the Problem of Test User Qualifications," by Kevin L. Moreland, is a short history of the American Psychological Association (APA)/American Educational Research Association (AERA)/National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Working Group on Test User…

Educators are more interested in instruction and learning than in testing per se. If evaluation, the process of gathering information for instructional improvement, could be accomplished without the quantitative, formal processes of measurement and testing, there would be no need for them. Unfortunately, informal processes are more inefficient,…

This paper concerns the projected changes suggested for testing in the future by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). A Commission on Tests is held desirable, the general purpose of which is to describe a comprehensive series of testing activities supporting the large-scale distribution of students among college level institutions in the…

Notes some of the conflicts between the use of hands-on science curricula and standardized testing. Discusses the state of testing and the state of science education with regard to the tests. Describes some promising developments in assessment in science education. (TW)

Discusses platform unity, or aligning curriculum content with appropriate test types. Presents findings from a survey of 30 Virginia community college faculty, indicating that the faculty did not plan and test content congruently, tended to overtest content, and were effective but not efficient in test selection. (25 citations) (AJL)

The educational accountability movement is changing the teacher's role in curriculum development from that of autonomous decision maker to agent of public school policy makers. To assess teacher reactions to factors influencing their autonomy, 75 teachers were exposed to pressures to change the content of fourth grade mathematics instruction in a…

This guide explains the concept of out-of-level testing and suggests a formula for estimating the occurrence of floor effects and ceiling effects, within the context of models for evaluating Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I programs. An analogy explains floor and ceiling effects as if test items are stored in different levels in a…