This book is intended to help parents understand more about the tests their children take in school. The pros and cons of different types of tests are explained, and the proper use of standardized tests is discussed. Each chapter contains a brief summary of the topic, with follow-up activities and a list of resources a parent could bring to the…

Changes in assessment policy have resulted in a proliferation of testing in Canadian schools. Advocates claim that more testing will result in greater accountability, but this book states that there is little evidence to support standardized testing from a pedagogical perspective. It examines the effects of standardized testing on educational…

Results are presented from a study of portfolio use for large-scale assessment in the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) public schools that are more encouraging for the use of this form of assessment than many other studies have been. Requirements for the psychometric integrity of portfolio assessment are discussed. (SLD)

A quiz is presented that may call the attention of school personnel to regression effects in educational measurement, and clarify the meaning of statistical regression for educators in schools. Ten questions and their answers explore regression in the contexts of classroom testing, grading, and performance assessment. (SLD)

The purpose of this article is to look at the experience of Bhutan in using examinations as a tool for assessing and systematically monitoring the health of the education system. The strategy in both school-based and nationwide examinations is three-fold: (1) monitoring of standards for the formally prescribed national curriculum across the…

Entries in this bibliography represent current holdings of the Test Center of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in the area of alternative assessment ideas for science. Alternative refers to holdings on topics other than standardized, norm-referenced tests. The list emphasizes performance assessments, portfolios, and technological…

This paper examines interviews with principals and surveys of 19 teachers in 5 schools about their use of portfolio assessment. Six themes are identified that reveal the impact of portfolio assessment. Teachers reported that using portfolios broadened the types of evidence they considered in assessing students. The transition to portfolio…

A cursory examination of current measurement texts used in teacher education reveals a treatment of such topics as test reliability, item analysis, and test interpretation based largely upon classical test theory. In the meantime, the landscape of the classroom has been significantly impacted by a growing emphasis on more authentic assessment…

This document tabulates extensive and detailed information about the assessment programs of each state. It is the third edition of the database and remains the single best source for information about the student assessments that states conduct. The database is compiled from a survey completed by state directors of assessment. The first section of…

A new national assessment system could lay a solid foundation for improving schools by monitoring the effectiveness of schools and teachers and student progress toward national goals. A sound national assessment system would: (1) allow valid comparisons between schools, districts, and states; (2) provide sound data on achievement, not just…

The use of performance assessment for instruction and accountability and the support for its use provided by the school district were studied in three suburban school districts in Colorado, New York, and Illinois. Two were elementary and secondary districts, but the Illinois district was a high school district. All three districts have employed…

In a previous paper the authors presented a model of assessing portfolios, the Cognitive Model for Assessing Portfolios (CMAP), as a lens to view, think about, and make decisions about portfolio projects. Two projects in which the CMAP has been used are described. One is an authentic assessment project in mathematics and science by the Educational…

This ERIC Digest was adapted from the Association for Childhood Education International's (ACEI) 1991 position paper on standardized testing. Since the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983, standardized testing programs have expanded greatly. Tests may be of pencil-and-paper or performance-oriented varieties. The purposes of tests…

This review of the literature on testing urban students indicates that standardized tests may not reflect accurately the ability and achievement of poor minority children. Further, new research in cognition makes clear that both teaching and testing could be structured to better prepare students for the complex thinking required by life. Since…

This book is an effort to examine the theory and practice of educational assessment while taking a step toward the development of a new paradigm. Fundamental changes in the way education is conceptualized must accompany the effort to rethink assessment theory and practice. The following chapters are included: (1) "The Need for a New Science…