A summary of the writing assessment programs reviewed in this journal is presented. The problems inherent in the programs are outlined. A coordinated research program on major problems in writing assessment is proposed as being beneficial and cost-effective. (DWH)

This paper was presented with other papers in a forum dealing with statewide testing programs. The primary purpose of the paper is to address practical considerations and methods of resolution for large districts or states who are planning on conducting large scale testing or assessment programs with criterion or performance referenced measures.…

The Colorado Evaluation Project was funded to field test the Common Status Measures concurrently with Colorado's pilot program in assessment and evaluation. The primary purpose is to determine Colorado's educational needs, and the secondary purpose is to test procedures for assessment which can be replicated or adapted by local school districts or…

This paper is based on guidelines developed in 1989 for training workshops for state and local educators to demonstrate the processes by which performance assessments could be created, validated, and used in statewide assessment programs. These guidelines are based on work with the National Assessment of Educational Progress and several statewide…

This brief overview of minimum competency testing and disabled high school students discusses: the inclusion or exclusion of handicapped students in minimum competency testing programs; approaches to accommodating the individual needs of handicapped students; and legal issues. Surveys of states that have mandated minimum competency tests indicate…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has conducted state assessments in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1996. At present, after the fourth round of state assessments, it is clear that the program is generally successful. A survey of state testing directors indicates that the NAEP has considerable credibility as a valid and reliable source…

This paper addresses the educational, technical, legal, and practical challenges states must confront as they consider the content of the assessment, its technical quality, the capacity of educators and the public to use the results of the assessment, the benefits and additional complications of performance testing, and the overall tension betwen…

State legislative action to control and reward teaching quality has resulted in the coming of age of systematic teacher performance evaluation for certification, merit pay, or career ladder advancement decisions. This article overviews issues of credibility and practicality--including test design, validity, and reliability--which arise when…

This technical manual provides all major existing information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System was in use between 1991-92 and 1993-94 and was referred to as Cycle One. Two sets of test…

This technical manual provides information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS), the assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System. The time period covered is Accountability Cycle 2, which spanned the school years 1992-93 through 1995-96. Sections of…

In the initial article by Edward Roeber, performance assessment is defined as an exercise in which the student demonstrates specific skills and competencies rather than selecting one of several predetermined answers to an exercise. Such as assessment contains four components: (1) a reason for the assessment; (2) a particular peformance to be…

Although few question the positive impacts alternative forms of assessment can have on instruction, concerns about the psychometric quality of data obtained from such assessments are taking their toll. Scoring issues are at the heart of many of these concerns. This paper addresses the causes of these concerns: misinformation about psychometric…

The Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) is a relatively new, statewide performance assessment of students in grades 3, 5, and 8. When first administered in May of 1991, the MSPAP included a battery of performance assessment tasks designed to generate written or drawn responses to reading texts. This study evaluated selected…

In 1990 the Kentucky state legislature passed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), which mandated a total overhaul of the state's kindergarten through grade 12 public school system and was designed to result in equitable education for all students. Accountability components of the KERA include financial incentives for staff in schools where…

Both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced interpretations of student, school, district, and state testing data can be improved by customizing the traditional norm-referenced test. Improvements that can be made include: (1) increasing the relevance of the test to the curriculum and (2) having greater confidence in the national comparative…