Declining test scores are but a reflection of the problems prevalent in American schools but improving school performance is not totally within the control of teachers. A National Education Association Teacher Opinion Study indicates that teachers think tests become an end in themselves rather than a basis for sound educational purposes.…

Many teachers are hesitant to use test results because they do not believe they have sufficient training in measurement. Inappropriate test use is a threat, but teachers like tests if the tests are compatible with classroom instruction and results are not used to the exclusion of other types of information. (Author/CM)

Norm-referenced testing is not appropriate for use in teacher evaluation. A truly equitable method of teacher evaluation is based on a clear set of instructional targets and on the teacher's effectiveness in helping students master the specific skills and knowledge targeted. (Author/MLF)

Reviews selected research studies on testing in science education to demonstrate that, although many tests do exist in science education, there are areas needing further development. (CS)

Reviews a study of the perceived importance of 47 measurement objectives by elementary and secondary education majors who had not taken a measurement course. Suggests origins of education majors' negative attitudes about testing and considers some remedies. (JD)

Discusses the need for and the skill development and comprehensive approaches to postsecondary developmental education. Describes three models of student assessment/placement and proposes a five-step model. Considers the establishment of proficiency standards, screening test selection, student processing, assistance centers, and evaluation. (AYC)

Investigated the effect of examiners' ethnicity on the intelligence test performance of Anglo and Mexican-American subjects. On the WISC Vocabulary, Mexican-American subjects scored significantly higher when the test was administered by Mexican-American examiners. (Author)

Relations among test anxiety, performance on a complex task, and task behavior were investigated within a simulated teaching situation. It was predicted that test anxiety would relate negatively to performance accuracy and level of active task involvement. (Editor)

Educational Testing Service's (ETS) international testing of student achievement (1988) was supported by politicians seeking simple answers, but results were badly flawed and pointless. ETS emphasized global comparisons among countries on a single achievement scale, using an arbitrary formula heavily weighted toward computation; actual questions…

Two achievement testing programs in New York City that have had and are having some consequences are described, and how the school system tries to determine and deal with these consequences is explored. Cooperation and open dialog between test publishers and the school district are making it possible to deal with the real-life problems of test…

Presents an overview of the major contemporary reference sources (print, online, and electronic) for scholarly information about psychological/educational tests. Stresses books and compendia that will assist reference librarians, and includes a compilation of texts that provide actual test items. Contains 53 references. (Author/LRW)

The "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" have evolved in the breadth and depth of coverage of issues in educational testing and measurement since their first publication in 1954. There were a number of substantive changes in the 1999 revision that addressed validity, fairness, accommodations, and compliance with the…

This article presents the author's comments on ""Lake Woebegone," Twenty Years Later" by J. J. Cannell, MD. J. J. Cannell's article on the so-called "Lake Woebegone" effect for K-12 educational testing systems is mostly an historical account of technical issues and policy considerations that led in part to development…

This paper is a brief history of the Regents subject-matter examinations and New York State's efforts to move towards educational equity. New York State was a leader in integrated curriculum and outcomes assessment in high schools for over a century. The first academic exit exam was administered in 1878 and it evolved into the controversial…

As part of its College Readiness System, ACT offers the PLAN[R] program as a way for tenth-grade students to review their progress toward college readiness while there is still time to make necessary interventions. PLAN contains four tests--English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. These tests are designed to measure students' curriculum-related…