A study evaluated the Michigan Test Battery as a placement tool and indicator of student performance at the college level for one continuing education intensive academic English program. Three issues were addressed: whether the test: (1) is being used correctly for program placement and exit; (2) is an accurate indicator of performance for…

A model for summarizing test scores and using them to modify instructional programs is presented. The proposed model consists of two types of summaries of the data gathered through standardized tests. The first summary contains individual and single class results. Information in a "Class Item Response Record" chart provides individual student…

The search for solutions to the perceived failures of American education of recent years indicates that the public senses there is something wrong with the educational system. Educators must examine testing in light of the fact that schools are getting poor results in terms of student achievement and, perhaps, change their view of what tests…

This digest discusses the integration of teaching and testing. The use of tests as instructional tools and administrative tools is discussed as well as teacher and administrator attitudes toward testing and teacher competency in interpreting test results. The term "tests" covers standardized tests of achievement and aptitude, less formal…

This study compares test battery results through carefully planned analysis of actual Title I evaluation data. The goal of the study is to derive practical recommendations regarding the results of commonly used test batteries which would be helpful at the local level. A criticism of the comparability assumption underlying the Title I evaluation…

Standardized test scores (STS) should be used on a local level: (1) as one component of evaluation of a student, school, or district; (2) to draw as much interpretive meaning from a norm-referenced test (NRT) as their structure will support; (3) as a communication device with students, parents, the public, and professional staff; (4) to check…

This article describes how three Utah school districts employed tests, specifically National Teacher Examinations, as one line of optional evidence for use (along with a selection of other evidence) in the promotion of eligible teachers. (Author/LMO)

A study of the use of General Educational Development (GED) Test scores for community college English and reading course placement found that the scores were adequate enough predictors of success to be used for that purpose, eliminating the need for additional costly testing. (MSE)

This brief addresses the benefits and concerns raised by the use of high stakes testing as the centerpiece of new accountability systems. It offers some recommendations for policymakers seeking to incorporate such tests into state accountability systems. High stakes tests can clarify and establish challenging performance expectations for students,…

This brief considers the use of high-stakes testing. Much of the fanfare accompanying "get tough" policies for failing students and schools has tempered as policymakers begin to see the complexity of raising student achievement dramatically in a short period of time. Education assessment systems are improving, but they are not as good as…

Technology and testing have become two popular prescriptions for improving education. The technology nostrum suggests that the infusion of modern technology into schools will bolster teaching and learning and will prepare students for an increasingly technological workplace. The testing prescription holds that using standardized test scores to…

State mandated tests are being implemented in the public schools, but states differ greatly in the complexity of their tests, making comparisons very difficult. States may have widely different definitions of what counts as proficient, and it is evident that state standards are set arbitrarily. It is also important to consider the relationship of…

This report focuses on the standards and test schools used to measure student and school performance in Texas. The primary method for evaluating the academic achievement of Texas public school students is a standardized test called the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). A review of TAAS scores and their uses suggests that the TAAS test…

An essential element in establishing educational equity is the use of educational testing and standardized norm-referenced tests, in particular, to identify and analyze problems in school effectiveness. The performance of children from low-income families is the best indicator of school response to minimum skills needs. (CM)

The assistance of professionals in measurement is called for to help schools deal with controversial issues in standardized testing by increasing public understanding of test uses and limitations. Schools' representation on the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) and the dissemination of NCME-published information to schools is…