Mandatory numeracy tests have become commonplace in many countries, heralding a new era in school assessment. New forms of accountability and an increased emphasis on national and international standards (and benchmarks) have the potential to reshape mathematics curricula. It is noteworthy that the mathematics items used in these tests are rich in…

Multiple uses of the same assessment may present challenges for both the design and use of an assessment. Little advice, however, has been given to assessment developers as to how to understand the phenomena of multiple assessment use and meet the challenges these present. Particularly problematic is the case in which an assessment is used for…

The General Educational Development (GED) credential is issued on the basis of an eight hour subject-based test. The test claims to establish equivalence between dropouts and traditional high school graduates, opening the door to college and positions in the labor market. In 2008 alone, almost 500,000 dropouts passed the test, amounting to 12% of…

This comprehensive evaluation of basic skills testing in California's elementary and secondary schools is divided into an executive summary and a collection of research reports. The summary evaluates current testing conducted by the state, school districts, and classroom teachers; describes experimental studies on new ways of testing and reporting…

A summary, prepared from notes and tape recordings, is presented of the 1979 conference of the National Consortium on Testing. Panel descussions on the following topics are included: (1) introduction; (2) update--recent and upcoming events concerning testing; (3) test preparation and coaching; (4) minimum competency testing; (5) program evaluation…

Three conference sessions focused on attempts to implement minimum competency testing programs at various educational levels. In each of the sessions particular attention was paid to planning for the development of a minimum competency testing program; the processes of development, initiation, and interpretation of the results; and difficulties…

Criterion-referenced testing (CRT) is defined as a method of ascertaining an individual's status with respect to some performance standard. Computer-assisted testing (CAT) is a method of constructing tests using a variety of computer techniques such as a single test computer printouts, stored item banks, teacher specified criteria, machine…

This issue of the IRCD Bulletin comprises Part I of the Report of the Commission on Tests of the College Entrance Examination Board, and a review of the recommendations made by the Commission. The Commission addressed itself to the question, "What can schools do to increase the readiness of students for further education, and what can colleges do…

The bookmark standard-setting procedure is an item response theory-based method that is widely implemented in state testing programs. This study estimates standard errors for cut scores resulting from bookmark standard settings under a generalizability theory model and investigates the effects of different universes of generalization and error…

This paper offers facts and figures on Utah's education status for 2010. This paper contains the following: (1) Core CRT Language Arts Testing, 2009; (2) Core CRT Mathematics Testing, 2009; (3) 2009 Public Education General Fund--Funding by Source and Expenditures by Function; (4) 2009-10 Public School Enrollment Demographics; (5) Public Schools…

Students whose primary language is not English and who are of limited English proficiency are an increasing percentage of North Carolina's school population at all grade levels and in all parts of the state. These guidelines are designed to clarify their participation in the statewide testing program. This program includes the end-of-grade tests…

Discussed are the procedures implemented in the Orleans Parish Schools in response to the Louisiana state-mandated promotional testing program (Act 750, 1979), and concerns regarding its value. Recent findings raise fundamental questions about whether an exclusively skills-focused curriculum in the early years provides the needed grounding in…

Procedures for administering the Proficiency Testing Program, adopted by the Idaho State Department of Education, are explained in this test administration manual. The tests are described as given on a district optional basis to ninth grade students in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics. Criterion-referenced…

Test-item writing efforts typically results in item pools with an undesirable correlational structure between the content attributes of the items and their statistical information. If such pools are used in computerized adaptive testing (CAT), the algorithm may be forced to select items with less than optimal information, that violate the content…

As states and provinces develop large-scale assessment programs linked to their curricula, teachers are increasingly expected to interpret the assessment results and to explain them to parents. The challenge for teachers is especially great in Ontario, which began developing an assessment program in 1996 after almost three decades without…