Discusses the role of examinations in teaching biology. Comments on the aims of examinations, essay questions, scientific writing, testing for comprehension of practical problems, problems and judgments, statistical skills, practical examinations, and the general problems of examining. (JR)

Describes some recent developments in computer programing taking place in Australia in the field of educational testing. Topics discussed include item banking and computer-assembled tests, test scoring for multiple choice and open-ended tests, item and test analysis, and test reporting. (Author/DN)

This article is a response to an article in a previous issue by Robert L. Williams on unfairness in testing blacks with existing instruments. This paper discusses: (1) testing as systematic inquiry; (2) the question of bias; (3) test use; and (4) the consequences of not testing. (CJ)

This case study of the Austin Independent School District describes how the philosophy and staffing of a testing program can work together to produce effective results with highly efficient use of student time and minimal clerical burden on teaching staff. (Author)

The study involving 30 educable mentally retarded children (8 to 12 years old) was designed to analyze the effect of the presence of others on three psychomotor measures from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Special Fitness Test. (SB)

Examines three standardized college composition tests in terms of the context of the assignment and the impact of social influences and the testing situation. Stresses inadequacies inherent to standardized composition testing. (HTH)

This paper offers a scenario for how educational assessment might change in response to market forces that affect not only the future of large-scale testing but also society in general. The scenario divides into three generations distinguished by the purpose of testing, test format and content, and the extent to which testing capitalizes on new…

A number of brief papers are presented to provide guidelines for test directors of school systems. This collection is intended for both newly appointed and experienced directors. Contributions were solicited from practicing directors of testing; the authors include Anthony J. Allen, Margaret Backman, Joan Bollenbacker, Gerald Hanna, James Lawson;…

The current study examines the views of experts in the science of mental abilities about the primacy and uniqueness of "g" and the social implications of ability testing, and compares their responses to the views of a group of non-expert psychologists. Results indicate expert consensus that "g" is an important, non-trivial determinant (or at least…

This technical brief describes the large-scale assessment measures and practices used in the jurisdictions served by the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory. The need for effective large-scale assessment was identified as a major priority for improving student achievement in the Pacific Region jurisdictions: American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, the…

As the World Wide Web has advanced since its inception, librarians have endeavored to keep pace with this progress in the design of their library Web pages. User recommendations collected from focus groups and usability testing have indicated that the University of Scranton's Weinberg Memorial Library's Web site was not working as intended, and…

Although historians of psychological and educational sciences have not completely neglected early research in the field of morality testing, European contributions to the measurement of ethical judgement and moral feeling have not received much historical attention. In this paper, two principal, experimental paradigms that emerged in early…

This study examined the effect of distributed questioning on learning and retention in a college lecture course. A total of 48 question pairs were presented over four exams. The 16 question pairs associated with each of the three blocks of the course appeared on the block exams, and all 48 appeared on the final exam. The two questions in each pair…

It is year six of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, and, according to this author, social studies has suffered greatly. In spite of the public outcry over the law's testing mandates and limited federal funding, some educators believe most of the public does not know about core academic subjects being squeezed out of the K-12 public school…