This framework marks the first in a series of five reports detailing the work of the Optimizing Assessment for All (OAA) project at Brookings to strengthen education systems' capacity to integrate 21st century skills (21CS) into teaching and learning, using assessment as a lever for changing classroom practices. In a world of rapid advancement and…

What people mean when they use the phrase "content standard" varies all over the lot. In some states, content standards are little more than category labels describing collections of curricular aims in particular content areas. If a state's content standards are too numerous, then teachers do not know where to aim their instructional efforts. This…

Clearly defined goals are described as the first component of a program evaluation. The goals of this booklet are: to demonstrate the need for clearly written statements of goals, outcomes, and objectives; to provide examples; to provide a method of deriving goals from already published materials; to demonstrate the relationship between writing…

Describes the process the teaching staff of one college went through in developing an exit examination and standards for their English 101 course, and states that students are writing better and that the instructors are better teachers of writing because of it. (CRH)

The report describes the organization and implementation of an evaluation of the Rose Tree Media Social Studies Curriculum. A questionnaire designed to gather teachers' assessment required response to twelve sets of statements reflecting sound curriculum procedures. Teams of teachers constructed tests summarizing the curriculum of each year…

Discusses early feminist efforts in psychological assessment, and reviews general issues related to feminist methodology. Successful impact and lack of impact of feminist criticism are illustrated by the revisions of the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (1990), respectively. (SLD)

This paper details the development of the high school general mathematics examination and reading comprehension tests for grades one through eight for the curriculum referenced testing program in Charleston County School District, South Carolina. While the basic developmental approach was similar, problems encountered in developing the two types…

Specified procedures for evaluating materials during their in-context tryout are presented. These procedures deal with all possible causes of system failures that have been identified in the in-classroom tryout of new materials. Therefore, methods for identifying, controlling, and monitoring all factors that affect academic behavior in the…

The strengths and weakness of standardized tests, and trends in achievement testing in the last 15 years are examined. The discussion of achievement tests includes survey, instructional, diagnostic, and basic skills tests, as well as tests used for formative and summative evaluation. Minimum competency tests are not examined in detail. Advantages…

The conference theme was Testing--Then and Now, based upon the assumption that psychometrists should review their origins and look forward to their future. In the area of intelligence testing, Nancy Bayley discussed the research that re-assessed previous concepts of the nature of intellectual growth and decline. Thelma Thurstone discussed new…

Reviews study that found, through use of a "performance instruction" model, a significant misalignment between the cognitive complexity levels of planned course content and that which is tested. (32 citations) (YKH)

Three tests were developed in the Canadore Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (CAM) project in the area of mathematics. The Canadore CAM Monitoring Tests were used to obtain an estimate of knowledge of objectives on a preinstruction, postinstruction and retention basis. The Math Survey Tests were used to place a student at the appropriate point…

A technology for domain or criterion referenced testing was developed to evaluate the Minnesota Mathematics and Science Teaching Project (MINNEMAST) in grades K-6. The venture was influenced by the low achievement of MINNEMAST students on standardized tests. After instructional objectives were selected and operationally defined, corresponding test…

The conference reported in this document sought to do the following: (1) focus attention on the problem of underachieving minority students, and issue a call for action to improve their educational achievement; (2) promote dialogue on promising practices aimed at solving the problem; (3) foster collaboration on solutions among practitioners,…