Testing is a means of obtaining information about people and their status. Too often tests and testing govern us as educators rather than being governed by us. Reviews the problem and offers some suggestions. (Editor)

The primary advantages of this method are qualitative and appear as improved student satisfaction, increased learning effectiveness, and increased academic quality. (Author/IRT)

Discusses the problem of state and local annual achievement testing of children whose parents choose to teach them at home. Discusses test security and administration. Suggests that parents need clear guidelines on state and local testing requirements. (NH)

This survey of recent developments in language testing offers a broad view of the field by focusing on significant developments that have occurred in the last half decade, including theoretical developments, practical developments, and recent resources. (Author/VWL)

Provides a broad overview of computerized testing issues with an emphasis on computer-adaptive testing (CAT). A survey of the potential benefits and drawbacks of CAT are given, the process of CAT development is described; and some L2 instruments developed to assess various language skills are summarized. (Author/VWL)

Examined the effect of taking open-ended tests on computers and on paper for students with different levels of computer skill using items from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and the National Assessment of Educational Progress for 287 middle school students. Results suggest a large effect of mode of administration on student…

Person-centered counseling and psychotherapy has historic reservations about testing. This article acknowledges these reservations while pointing out ways in which the person-centered therapist may use tests without violating the integrity of the person-centered relationship. (Author/SR)

This article reports on the action taken by Texas officials to maintain the integrity of their testing program. Responding to a potential cheating scandal uncovered by a recent newspaper investigation, Texas officials announced a sweeping review of test security and plans for a new monitoring scheme for the state accountability system, which has…

An important contemporary issue in special education is the extent to which students with a disability are included in all mainstream educational activities, including educational accountability. In line with other Western countries, the extent of national testing conducted by Australian schools will increase in the near future. At the moment, the…

Compared the performance of highly intelligent adults (N=38) on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. No significant differences were found between initial scores, but combined order of administration data appeared to distort comparisons. (JAC)

The recent proliferation of testing policies in the US has raised concerns about the consequences of "teaching to the test". Current studies of teaching and testing document patterns of teacher resistance and accommodations to external tests, but often fail to examine how these patterns influence teachers' and students' engagement with…

Over many years, both as an educator and as a psychologist, I have been involved with assessing students? knowledge and skills. Since my early years diagnosing students with learning disabilities and other disorders, my viewpoint on the usefulness and effectiveness of many testing approaches has taken a 180-degree turn. In fact, I see many…

This article presents a revised version of the author's Samuel Messick Memorial lecture in 2003. Messick's emphasis on consequential validity is used to identify some of the negative effects of current practices as they affect the quality of students' learning and motivation. It suggests that there have been many 'dark alleys' in which poorly…