In this paper, the author reviews a number of criticisms that have been made of the use of standardized tests in the social studies and reviews 11 general, skills, and discipline-oriented standardized tests for social studies. Standardized tests evaluating the results of the new social studies courses are open to criticism on the basis of…

Performance on The Scholastic Aptitude Test-Verbal (SAT-V) and Mathematical (SAT-M), the applicant's rank in class or Converted Secondary School Rank (Rank), and the applicant's general level of measured secondary school achievement as indicated by the Average of CEEB Achievement Tests (ACH AV) has been used by Vassar College as admissions…

Correlations between the Enrollee Test Battery (ETB) and performance on more conventional tests were examined to determine the ETB validity, in addition to a small-Scale study of predictive validity of both ETB and the conventional tests. Three types of paper and pencil measures were utilized: the ETB, conventional cognitive skills tests, and…

This report of the development and validation of a criterion-referenced examination for physician's assistants contains an overview of phase 1 project activities (1972-74) and more detailed description and data on phase 2 activities (1975-76). The overview describes the rationale for the development of the examination. (It was the first certifying…

The California Critical Thinking Skills Test: College Level (CCTST) is a standardized test that targets core college-level critical thinking skills. It has been characterized as the best commercially available critical thinking skills assessment instrument. Building from CCTST validation studies in 1989 and 1990, this paper proposes avenues for…

This paper examined test scores and information about test takers collected from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) national test administration files, GRE validity study data provided by institutional users, and survey questionnaires sent to test repeaters. Data were collected from 200,000 men and women who took the GRE General Test in June…

The Advanced Placement Program reports grades to students and colleges on a 1 to 5 point scale derived from combining the separate scores on the multiple-choice and free-response sections of Advanced Placement Examinations (ADPEs). In this study, predictions of grades in first-semester college biology courses were made based on students' separate…

This study investigated the relationship of standardized test scores and locally developed test scores to course placement and academic success in a developmental program. The sample consisted of 281 students who matriculated in the Division of Developmental Studies at a southern university. Eligible students for enrollment in Developmental…

This paper discusses the role of intelligence in language comprehension. In the study reported, an attempt is made to determine how much of the variability in English reading scores of non-native speakers of English can be predicted on the basis of intelligence alone. In the study, three measures of reading comprehension are used: a traditional…

A major concern for those in higher education is whether the instruments they use for screening students are valid and predictive. Of particular interest is whether a grammar test, used in many institutions to screen students for developmental English, and a reading comprehension test, used to screen students for developmental reading, truly…

A project was conducted to (1) produce normative data for the Literacy Assessment Battery (LAB) and (2) evaluate the LAB as a potential supplement to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) for use as a selection and classification instrument for the military services. The distribution of auding and reading skills in the population…

Papers are presented that were prepared as part of a study group of the International Council for Educational Development on criteria and procedures for admission to higher education and the relationship between higher education and the law. In "Access to Higher Education and the Law," Larry G. Simon analyzes the role of law and especially the…

It has long been assumed that Part 3 of the National Boards, which stresses patient management and clinical problems, is a valid measure of "clinical competence" for doctors. These authors, challenging this premise, devised a study to analyze which components of medical school achievement are most predictive of Part 3 performance. Their…

This paper traces the history of the College Entrance Examination Board from its beginnings through its operations in 1966. Using materials drawn from various published and unpublished sources both of the Board and of the Educational Testing Service, summary accounts of objectives, formats, manner of administration, scoring, and critical…

An intensive analysis of the relative value of using the Vocabulary and Block Design subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) to predict Full Scale IQ based on six verbal and five performance WISC subtests was conducted. The tests were administered to 1,310 6 to 11 year old Anglo, Negro, and Mexican-American school children.…