This outline and bibliography is designed to acquaint candidates and educators with the Certified Professional Secretary (CPS) Examination. The outline indicates the areas in which secretaries should possess knowledge, skill, understanding, and judgment. It is divided into the three parts that comprise the examination: finance and business law…

Authentic assessment, as referred to in this book, encompasses meaningful tasks, positive interaction between teachers and students, methods that emphasize higher-order thinking skills, and strategies that allow students to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning. Most important, authentic assessment means helping students to apply and…

A semester-long study examined the assessment instruments and techniques currently being used by companies participating in the Wisconsin Workplace Partnership Training Program (WWPTP). Twenty-four instruments that may be categorized as either standardized tests, competency-based and criterion-reference measures, or participatory assessment…

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether teachers' attitudes toward specific test preparation, whether they saw administration practices such as cheating, and the amount of pressure they felt to increase standardized test scores predicted teachers' test preparation and administration practices. Using the theory of personal action of…

Results of standardized tests taken by students in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District are reported. Emphasis is on tests developed for the state of Texas, but results from other standardized tests are also reported. In October 1990, 22,443 students in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 took the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS),…

While international students contribute to the diversity and add to the cultural and intellectual aspects of the university's environment, they also provide challenges for administrators, faculty, and students. This booklet provides guidance to graduate deans, faculty, and administrators who work with international graduate students. Academic,…

In 1989, North Carolina's scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) were the lowest in the nation. The Superintendent of Public Instruction developed a plan to address this situation, and North Carolina scores improved in 1990 to rank above South Carolina. This report is one aspect of the improvement plan. This first of two volumes introduces…

This study investigates two fixed parameter models for calibrating test items for an item bank under local school district control. Mathematics, reading, and language tests administered to students (Grades 7-9) provided the criterion information. Model I used calibrations from the Northwest Evaluation Association Item Bank to calibrate new items…

The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) measures 16 basic skills objectives as mandated by legislation enacted in 1978. The BSAP Reading and Mathematics Tests were administered April 17 through 21, 1989. The tests for grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 consisted of 6 multiple-choice questions for each of the 11 objectives in reading and…

A procedure was developed to detect differential item functioning (DIF) in a standardized essay test using the Partial Credit Model, the general polychotomous form of the Rasch model. Using a panel of experts in the writing process, hypothesized explanations for DIF at some score points were developed. Data for the study included averaged…

Two reforms are suggested as ways to improve standardized testing. They are Truth-in-Testing legislation and the Golden Rule bias reduction principle. Test publishers, state departments of education, and colleges who administer tests are often reluctant to provide statistical data on test results. It is also difficult for researchers to see test…

Magnet schools have become increasingly popular as alternatives to traditional curriculum offerings and as tools to promote voluntary desegregation in urban school districts. Most evaluations of magnet schools have been concerned with monitoring objectives and compliance with regulations. Few reports assess the impact of magnet curricula on…

This report evaluates the reading and mathematics lab programs for elementary and secondary students in the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District. The reading program served 510 students in 13 schools and mathematics program served 240 students in 7 schools. A variety of assessment instruments were used to pinpoint students'…

This document discusses the role and the scope of evaluation in the mathematics classroom. The scope of mathematics objectives to be evaluated, the scope of evaluation purposes in the mathematics classroom, and the scope of evaluation procedures are noted. Specific comments are made on various evaluation procedures, including: (1) observations;…

Province-wide examinations as a graduation requirement were reinstated in British Columbia after a 10-year hiatus in 1983. This study assessed the impact of grade-12 subject examinations (embodied in the Provincial Examination Program) on students, teachers, administrators, employers, and the school system. Completed survey questionnaires were…