This study examined the use of a popular Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Google Voice Typing (GVT), to automatically assess English as second language pronunciation. It aimed to answer the following question: What is the relationship between GVT-rated scores and human-rated scores? To answer this question, we compared audio recordings of 56…

There is a growing interest in conceptualizing, defining, and assessing what are often called 21st century skills or deeper learning competencies. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the conceptualizations, definitions, and understandings in the research literature related to critical thinking. Key initial questions include: What…

This report discusses frameworks and assessment development approaches to consider fairness, opportunity to learn, and consequences of test use in the design and use of assessments administered to diverse populations. Examples include the integrated design and appraisal framework and the sociocognitively based evidence-centered design approach.…

In L2 assessment research, assessments have traditionally been associated with large-scale testing or formal proficiency tests, primarily to record student achievement (Turner & Purpura, 2016). Classroom-based assessments (CBAs), then, are seen as offshoots of large-scale tests, thus, designed similarly (Turner, 2012). However, CBAs serve a…

This clear, no-nonsense book guides current and future teachers through the concepts, tools, methods, and goals of classroom literacy assessment. The expert authors examine the roles of formative, summative, and benchmark assessments; demystify state and national tests and standards; and show how assessment can seamlessly inform instruction.…

Based on the results of a generalizability study of measures of teacher knowledge for teaching mathematics developed at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at the University of California, Los Angeles, this article provides evidence that teachers are better at drawing reasonable inferences about student…

There's accountability and then there's the testing craze an iatrogenic practice that undermines real learning. Hedrick documents the negative effects of testing, giving teachers another weapon in their arsenal against mindless preparation for high-stakes tests.

In many school districts, the pressure to raise test scores has created overnight celebrity status for formative assessment. Its powers to raise student achievement have been touted, however, without attending to the research on which these claims were based. Sociocultural learning theory provides theoretical grounding for understanding how…

Longitudinal case studies of seven teachers in grades three, four, and five were conducted to determine teachers' use of curriculum-embedded tests in elementary mathematics instruction. Results indicated that among the three ways tests are used (student placement, content decisions, and student evaluation), student placement provided the most…

A study to investigate attitudes of elementary and secondary school teachers towards testing observed teachers' knowledge, information desired, student acceptance, external constraints, nature and quality of test information, and evaluative uses. Results show that teachers use tests often, have limited testing expertise, and are concerned about…

This article offers advice on interpreting intelligence quotient (IQ) data and other results from intelligence tests. Myths regarding the practical applications and broader implications of IQ profiles are debunked. Several warnings are given regarding test use along with general statements of intelligence tests' strengths and weaknesses in…

Often, students repeat the mistakes they have made in answering exam questions, even after classroom discussion of their errors. They do not appear to have "learned from their mistakes". One possible solution is to guide students through a more active process of addressing their mistakes. We will describe a classroom study focused on the…

This digest presents eight questions that pertain to how standards-based education affects classroom instruction and assessment at the local level. Various options and recommendations are provided to help education officials determine the practical concerns of standards-based education. The following questions are explored: (1) where will the…

The accuracy and fairness of standardized testing is taken very seriously in the education world. These issues are a major focus of both the testing experts who develop standardized tests and the researchers who endeavor to ensure a test's fairness, reliability, validity, and accuracy. But many issues remain both controversial and complex. The…

This book is intended to introduce the classroom teacher and prospective teacher to the elements of measurement and assessment that are essential to good teaching. The main theme is that assessment plays an important role in the instructional process. This edition has been revised to reflect major changes in educational assessment since the last…