A study was made of an early field practicum, in elementary education, which theoretically emphasized quantity and diversity in the students' field experiences and allowed them the opportunity to apply newly acquired curriculum methods and theories. Ten student teachers were intensively interviewed and observed over a six month period. It was…

The student promotion policy for Chicago public schools is delineated in this guide. The promotion policy in both elementary and secondary schools is described as consisting of three dimensions: (1) instructional program; (2) intervention and monitoring activities; and (3) assessment, testing, and program evaluation. Components of each of these…

The content of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act is described, its current interpretations are examined, and the implications for developing a responsible language and citizenship curriculum to conform to the legislation are discussed. Specific attention is focused on the law's requirement that illegal aliens applying for amnesty and…

The Scottish Vocational Education Council's National Certificate has its origins in the Scottish Education Department's (SED's) decision to rationalize the provision of certification for non-advanced further education in Scotland under one body. This report presents case studies of assessments of students performed by colleges in Scotland, based…

This digest explains basic elements of standardized tests in order to help teachers in making students feel comfortable about taking such tests. Usually created by commercial publishers, standardized tests are designed to provide a common measure of students' performance. They help compare an individual student's performance with the performance…

The academic achievement of students in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) is reported using their scores on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS), the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP), the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and the Scholastic…

Following the rules and regulations of compensatory education programs requires the use of objective measures in selecting students for programs, assessing their progress, and monitoring the program's quality. Administrators must remember the following four points when they use test scores for compensatory education students: (1) test scores alone…

Both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced interpretations of student, school, district, and state testing data can be improved by customizing the traditional norm-referenced test. Improvements that can be made include: (1) increasing the relevance of the test to the curriculum and (2) having greater confidence in the national comparative…

The purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss a set of standards that can be used to evaluate potential assessment instruments; and (2) to use these standards to evaluate the American College Testing Program's College Outcomes Measures Program (ACT-COMP) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Academic Profile. Using the work of S. Messick (1975,…

Responses to American College Test College Outcome Measures Program (ACT-COMP) items by 481 black and 9,237 white students at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) were analyzed using F. Samejima's graded model to determine the level of differential item functioning (DIF). Students had been tested using Form 8 of the ACT-COMP objective test…

The extent to which national performance on an achievement test battery changed over a 4-year period was studied, and the comparative performance of students in school districts taking the test series for the first time was compared with that of students in districts that had used the battery at least once in one or more grades. The seventh…

Developed as part of the Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT), these item specifications for sixth grade language arts are designed to provide an overview of the general content and format of test items used to measure instructional objectives. Each item specification contains the following information: objective identification number; grade…

Designed to assess the success of social studies instruction for grade 4 students in Manitoba, Canada, this test evaluation instrument contains a manual, scoring key and test. Administered to determine whether students learned important ideas and skills in social studies instruction, the results of the test will be used to improve social studies…

Designed to assess the success of social studies instruction for students in grade 10 in Manitoba, Canada, this test evaluation instrument contains a manual, a scoring key, and a test. Administered to determine whether students learned important ideas and skills in social studies instruction, the results of the testing will be used to improve…

The impact of the Early Exit Program (EEP) on Florida schools was studied. Questions asked about those who pass the General Education Development (GED) tests to earn a high school diploma included: (1) whether such students are high achievers who might contribute to a brain drain from the high schools; (2) whether they are low achievers who cannot…