This publication is an outgrowth of the concern expressed by the National Council of Teachers of English regarding the nature, uses, and misuses of standardized tests, specifically the validity of the subject-matter content of standardized English tests and the relation of the overall purposes of a school's total English program to standardized…

Fundamental problems in the collection and use of data, in particular the need to develop and use criteria for data, are discussed. Specific examples of the use and misuse of data related to teachers and children in the public schools are presented. Two methods of data collection--manifest techniques and formal response instruments--are evaluated…

The Performance Scale of the WISC-R was administered to 59 prelingually deaf children attending a state-supported day school program. The results compare favorably with those found by Wechsler with the standardization sample. (Author)

Underlying concepts and current issues in communicative testing are described, and several promising approaches to developing communicative tests are outlined. It is suggested that appropriate testing is likely to have dramatic effects on the format and content of foreign language curricula and on student motivation because of increased relevance.…

The Developmental Activities Screening Inventory II (DASI-II) was administered to a group of 13 toddlers with severe disabilities. Results indicated that interrater reliability was statistically significant across raters for all scores reported by the DASI-II and that test-retest stability was statistically significant across administrations and…

This is the third of three volumes designed to cover the problems and issues of developing and managing a formal assessment program. They also offer guidelines and illustrations of several of the more special aspects of assessment programs, such as administering tests or documenting their results. This volume contains summaries of technical…

Standards for evaluating criterion-referenced tests are presented. Twenty-one standards, grouped in three categories, are discussed. Category one is defined as measurement properties and is comprised of conceptual validity, including description of the domain, test item agreement with objectives, and item representativeness of the objectives; and…

Defends the use of multiple-choice language tests against Pickering's criticism in a previous issue of this journal. (CHK)

The advantages of using psychometric thoery to design short forms of intelligence tests are demonstrated by comparing such usage to a systematic random procedure that has previously been used. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) Short Form is presented as an example. (JKS)

This paper provides an overview of standardized tests and a summary of important psychometric and test construction properties that educators must consider when they make critical evaluations of standardized tests. Sections of the paper concern: (1) basic characteristics of standardized tests; (2) differences between norm-referenced and…

The distinguishing characteristics and relationships found among the "Analytical Reading Inventory," the "Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty," and the Spache "Diagnostic Reading Scales" in terms of readability levels, oral and silent reading results, and independent and instructional reading levels were examined in a study involving 117 first,…

For the most part, standardized tests are verbal and presuppose that the test takers know the language, culture, and values of the test makers, who usually represent white, middle class language and values. The communication problems that minority groups face when taking standardized tests include phonological biases (especially when the tests are…

The basic concepts, practices, and considerations in assessment are outlined in order to provide the reader with a beginning knowledge of assessment techniques and procedures. Discussion includes the goals of assessment, types of tests, criteria for instrument selection, test construction, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis of…

This paper concerns the projected changes suggested for testing in the future by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). A Commission on Tests is held desirable, the general purpose of which is to describe a comprehensive series of testing activities supporting the large-scale distribution of students among college level institutions in the…

An objective-based classification of needs-assessment areas for elementary education and a critical test evaluation procedure for application to measurement devices in these need areas were developed. Criteria for the evaluation are measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. The…