Direct Admissions is a system developed and piloted recently in the US that defaults graduating high school students into post-secondary admittance by data-matching their profiles (transcripts, standardized test scores, and prerequisites) with institutions' preset eligibility criteria. As applicant and institutional interest in direct admissions…

As more colleges move to "test optional" admissions policies, the debate over the utility and interpretation of standardized-test scores continues. In this article, the author interviews Daniel Koretz, a professor of education at Harvard University and author of "Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us". Koretz…

Explores three issues to consider regarding statewide standardized tests in higher education: (1) existing statewide testing programs differ markedly from one another in nature and objectives, and it's important to know specifically how and why; (2) a range of substantial implementation issues will be present; and (3) there are promising…

U.S. teacher educators are faced with serious challenges to demonstrate the quality of the graduates they prepare. These challenges are expressed in the country's fixation on accountability and testing. We are witnessing the growth of standardized tests and alternative routes to certification as panaceas intended to solve the teacher shortage…

This study examined the relationship between students' socioeconomic characteristics and qualification for a merit scholarship in a new, state-run program. The Michigan merit award scholarship program provides scholarships of up to $2,500 for students who score at Level 1 or 2 of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program High School Tests.…

The College-Level Academic Skill Test (CLAST) is part of Florida's system of educational accountability. It is an achievement test that measures students' attainment of the college-level communication and mathematics skills that were identified by faculties of community colleges and state universities. Students in community colleges and state…

This is the fourth annual report on New York State's schools written pursuant to legislation enacted in 1987. As in previous years, there is a bimodal curve of achievement, with students in affluent suburban areas doing better than those in concentrated pockets of poverty, particularly in cities. A statistical portrait of the elementary and…

The pattern toward an increase in the number of states using some form of competency testing prior to the certification of educators is substantiated in this paper. Competency testing programs are implemented at three distinct levels: (1) before entrance into a teacher education program near the end of the sophomore year in college; (2) at the end…

A method was developed for identifying students who may be at high risk for failing the State Board Licensing Examination (SBE) for registered nurses. The subjects used in developing prediction equations included 50 students who graduated from the nursing program at Saint Joseph's College (SJC) in North Windham (Maine) during the years 1983-84.…

Information on state and institutional actions in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) area is presented. Twenty-one tables and two figures present data by state on the following topics: high school graduation requirements; special recognition program for high school graduates; advanced placement programs for public school students;…

The two primary college admission test batteries given in Nevada are the American College Test (ACT) and the tests prepared by the College Board, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE). This report provides an overview of the tests and major trends in Nevada for 1988. These tests apply to a small portion…

The two primary college admission test batteries given in Nevada are the American College Test (ACT) and the tests of the College Board, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE). This report provides an overview of the two tests and major trends pertinent to Nevada for 1989; however, because of the small…

The Enhanced American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are the two primary college admission test batteries administered in Nevada. This report provides an overview of the two examinations and major trends pertinent to Nevada in 1991. These tests apply to only a portion of the high school student population, and are not…

Teacher attitudes toward the high school proficiency test were identified through a 15-question survey distributed to 39 secondary school teachers representing various demographic school populations. The subjects were selected from five graduate education classes and a small city high school. The median number of years of teaching experience was…

This document contains sample test items from the Florida College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), an achievement test that measures communication and computation skills that students should have acquired on completing their sophomore year in college. The sample items in this document test the set of skills that were revised in September 1990…