This paper brings to first fruition an analytic schema based on four elements which involve a conception of skills independent or particular testing devices: (1) the development and application of a class of statistical models incorporating qualitative definitions of skill, distorted in item response by errors conceived as misclassifications; (2)…

The Pennsylvania Preschool Inventory (PPI) was developed as a straight-forward and efficient measure of the relative cognitive development of the young child, offering an alternative to more complicated, elaborate assessment instruments. Results of the inventory are potentially relevant to both current and future school success of children between…

To solve problems of causality and measurement in educational research, this paper combines seven variables into a proposed model of educational productivity on achievement tests. The authors first review psychological models of educational production that relate learning to aptitude and environment, and note that these models do not allow for…

An apparent discrepancy between building level scores in basic skills produced by Pennsylvania's state assessment program (EQA) and building summary scores, generally a grade equivalent, provided by commercial standardized achievement tests is investigated. The impetus for the study came from occasional reports by school administrators that their…

This book is a survey of all the modern language examinations in the United Kingdom at "GCE"'O' level, Scottish 'O' grade, and "CSE" Mode 1, available in 1979 in French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish, as well as the "16+" examination offered by a consortium of boards in the north of England. It is an attempt…

The performance of the University of Arizona College of Medicine's graduating class of 1976 on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Parts I and II was analyzed in a structural equation model. Although the primary emphasis of this paper is toward model development, the effects of several background and demographic variables such as age,…

This longitudinal study examined the relationship of the physical-neurological conditions of infants at one minute after birth to mental and motor development at prekindergarten and kindergarten levels. Subjects were 44 children, 16 males and 28 females, born in 1970 in the same hospital. Neonatal physical status one minute after birth was…

In discussing the third national assessment of reading and literature, four major points can be made. First, norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced tests ignore serious ethical and measurement problems, namely, we don't know enough about individual differences to do such testing and the outcome, social class tracking, is ethically…

The meaning of standardized achievement testing to 50 third-grade teachers was investigated through a construct validation procedure using questionnaires and structured open-ended interviews. Subjects were from 18 schools performing distinctly above or below prediction on the Delaware Educational Assessment Program Longitudinal Study.…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant differences in the academic achievement of children attending three different types of school: a model "open" school, a comparable "traditional" school, and a traditional school with a student population from a higher socioeconomic area. Data based on…

Discussions at the National Consortium on Testing conference are summarized. Updates on recent and upcoming events are given by Jeff Schiller (National Institute of Education), Doug Whitney (American Council on Education), John Maxwell (National Council of Teachers of English), Dorianne Almann (National Science Teachers Association), Eric Gardner…

A random sample of 300 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students participated in a comparative study of performance on social studies cloze tests, social studies group reading inventories (GRI), and a popular standardized test (Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, Survey E). It was found that cloze tests and GRIs constructed from social studies content…

Some of the technical issues associated with legislation to regulate testing and one alternative to test scores in the admissions and student selection process are discussed. Technical issues that must be addressed in order to accommodate full and public disclosure include equating, test administration, scoring, and score reporting. The need to…

Findings are presented of an empirical study involving public, private, and parochial school systems' use of standardized test information by central office administrators. Examples of actual use are given, and descriptions of central office perspectives on standardized testing are detailed. Three categories were found to account for most of the…

This manual for administrators and teachers describes The Reading Tests for New York State Elementary Schools. The tests, utilizing the Degrees of Reading Power methodology, are designed to measure the most difficult prose text a student can read with comprehension, and are administered to all sixth grade students as part of the Pupil Evaluation…