A preliminary examination of two approaches adopted in California to address the high school dropout problem is presented. Focus is on comparing aggregate impacts of State Bill (SB) 65 and of California Local Educational Reform Network (C-LERN) approaches to high school dropout reduction and prevention between 1985-86 and 1987-88. Four groups of…

This paper discusses the relationship of the content of nationally standardized and normed achievement tests and that of local school curricula and the effect that relationship has on the meanings and uses of the test scores. The following questions are considered: (1) whether tests have to match what is taught to be useful; (2) whether it is fair…

This issue of a quarterly newsletter focuses on alternative assessment methods in adult basic education. It is occasioned, as explained in the opening editorial, by the announcement of the requirement for use of the 1987 edition of the Tests of Adult Basic Education for pre- and posttesting of basic education students in New York City, beginning…

The Measure of Academic Talent (MAT) is a standardized measure of academic development that controls for socioeconomic status-related background characteristics (e.g., income, language in the home, etc.) for different race and sex groups. In this study, the MAT was derived from American College Testing (ACT) program assessment data, using a sample…

This module was developed to introduce users of norm-referenced tests (NRT) to procedures for conducting a survey of personal resources and a review of career goals and objectives, and to provide incentives and opportunities for test takers to find a personal meaning and value in the use of test results and assessment. The activities within the…

The major goal in the settlement agreement of Mona Bronson, et al v. Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati, et al is continued significant progress in the reduction of racial isolation in the city's schools. In the first year of compliance with the agreement, data show that 26.8 percent of the goal has been attained in elementary schools,…

A number of political issues are involved in educational testing and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Many school officials are disturbed by the number of tests administered and the information and instructional time lost; they are reluctant to accede to further voluntary testing programs which might duplicate current…

Phase III of the Louisiana School Effectiveness Study (LSES-III) was designed in part to obtain rich, qualitative data on the characteristics of more and less effective schools in the Gulf South. Data were gathered on eight matched outlier pairs of schools during the 1984-1985 school year. Of the eight historically ineffective schools in LSES-III,…

The vocabulary used in textbooks and standardized tests for English as a second language (ESL) is examined to determine how much variation exists. Word lists were compared for six difficulty levels in five frequently-used ESL textbook series (a total of 30 books). Three series of standardized proficiency/placement tests at different levels were…

This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of cloze procedures as norm-referenced instruments by comparing the differential responses of four groups of college students of English as a second language on two identical cloze passages. The responses were scored using both exact-answer and acceptable-word methods. The results indicate that…

The reading achievement test scores of 239 low-income, southern, urban black students in grades three through eight were compared with their ability to comprehend the social studies books used in their classrooms. Achievement scores were obtained from the reading subtests of the Stanford Achievement Tests. A cloze passage was developed based on…

The work presented in this paper defined conceptually the concepts of multidimensional discrimination and information, derived mathematical expressions for the concepts for a particular multidimensional item response theory (IRT) model, and applied the concepts to actual test data. Multidimensional discrimination was defined as a function of the…

The validity of grades in higher education as a measure of what a student has actually learned has been a concern to both the public and academicians for over three decades. This was one of several issues discussed in a report by the National Institute of Education Study Group on Conditions of Excellence in American Higher Education. Furthermore,…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a Stress Management Seminar and a Test-Taking Skills Workshop in improving the scores of pre-nursing and guidance examinees at Wallace Community College in Dothan, Alabama. The 73 subjects took the Pre-Nursing and Guidance Examination (PNGE) in June 1984, September 1984, or January 1985.…

This report assesses the results of the administration, during June of 1987, of the Grade 12 diploma examinations in the Province of Alberta, Canada. Most of the data is tabulated. The examination program consists of course-specific examinations that are based on the prescribed Program of Studies for Senior High Schools for the following courses:…