Discusses the choice of an English placement test. Suggests that English language screening decisions need to be examined from within the context of a particular institution's situation. Provides questions to be addressed before choosing an appropriate screening device. (Author/VWL)

Texas began alternative teacher certification in 1985, attracting diverse populations into teaching. Although criterion-referenced tests demonstrate program success, there should be additional ways to determine whether individuals are qualified to practice the art of teaching. (SK)

Anthony Bruton comments on Brown and Hudson's article "The Alternatives in Language Assessment," (v32 n4 Win 1998). Raises questions about some of their definitions and categories and suggests additional items that need to be considered by test takers. Brown and Hudson reply with clarifications of terms and definition of the scope of their paper.…

Discusses the necessity for making teaching and learning needs take precedence over being driven by technological advances on the Internet and the World Wide Web and proposes three different formats for utilizing the Web in online and classroom undergraduate instruction. Topics include analyzing course objectives; student motivation; grading; and…

Explores the growth of the U.S. testing industry since the 1900s. Discusses the technical developments that have encouraged the use of standardized testing and contributed to the growth of the testing industry. Attempts to quantify the expansion of the testing marketplace through the 20th century. Includes references. (CMK)

Human performance in cognitive testing and experimental psychology is expressed in terms of response speed and accuracy. Data analysis is often limited to either speed or accuracy, and/or to crude summary measures like mean response time (RT) or the percentage correct responses. This paper proposes the use of mixed regression for the psychometric…

Governments have just a few policy levers they can pull to improve schooling. In this article, the authors show how British Columbia is making systematic use of one--information--to focus attention on improving student performance. Parents, students, educators, and elected officials all agree that the high-level performance of schools should be…

Benjamin Bloom proposed six hierarchical and cumulative levels of testing to measure different levels of student subject knowledge. A review of these levels would assist the business law teacher in developing tests to measure the desired level of student mastery of the subject. It might also prove to be a tool for the teacher to assist in…

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined on four subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) when on and off stimulant medication. Performance was assessed relative to 18 individually age-matched controls. Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on TEA-Ch measures when off compared…

The idea of causality is central in science and has long given rise to debate among philosophers and scientists. While the tendency to avoid causality seems to have become dominant in science and philosophy, research in science education has shown the strong presence in common reasoning of causal explanations, often conceived as a 'mechanism'…

After scrambling to raise students' skills in math and reading, state and school administrators are beginning to place renewed emphasis on science, with the approaching mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) squarely in mind. That effort is taking shape on many fronts, from the design of new tests in science subjects to the revamping of…

This study provides empirical evidence to support the validity of using a content-specific reading test for college placement decisions. A content-specific reading test presents passages exclusively from the subject area for which the placement decision is intended. Forty-nine students in a human anatomy class were administered a content-specific…

Several analyses were conducted on data from samples of adults between 18 and 58 years of age who completed the same cognitive tests after an interval ranging from less than 1 week to 35 years. Because the retest interval varied across individuals, it was possible to determine the length of time needed before the gains associated with a retest…

The campaign against testing is a good place to reflect on the legacy of Brian Simon and to ask how far his politics and his professional life came together in what he himself called 'Education as a site of struggle'. History of education can be a critical discourse enabling reflection on the effects of policy and practice and the history of…

This study examines (1) the extent to which student engagement is associated with experimental and traditional measures of academic performance, (2) whether the relationships between engagement and academic performance are conditional, and (3) whether institutions differ in terms of their ability to convert student engagement into academic…