The 1981-82 System-Wide Testing Program (SWT) introduced the initial administrations of the Assessment of Baseline Curriculum Survey and the Language assessment scales. The Basic Objectives Assessment Tests, the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills, and District-adopted, norm-referenced tests were continued as implemented in previous years. The…

The validity of the equipercentile hypothesis of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) norm-referenced evaluation model was examined. The California Achievement Test, Reading, was administered as a pretest and posttest to 3,224 seventh and ninth grade students. The equipercentile hypothesis predicts that the posttest percentile…

Argues that there is room for both those tests that focus on stable between-individual gains, and discusses how to evaluate a test along both the psychometric and edumetric dimensions. (Author/JM)

In discussion of assessment and its applicability to the needs of the Spanish-speaking student population, four types of assessments are presented in the context of the educationally significant testing needed in this area. The focus of this paper is on the use of comprehensive assessment to measure the repertoire of language resources that the…

This study compared reading readiness profiles of 232 first graders with the reported norms of a decade ago. It is suggested that children are currently entering first grade with greater competencies in understanding language, percieving visual similarities and differences, and comprehending basic number concepts than was the case a decade ago.…

The tenability of the equipercentile growth assumption was investigated. This assumption is the basis of the norm referenced evaluation model (Model A) for Title I program evaluations, and supposes that a cohort of students, given no special educational intervention, will maintain the same percentile rank over the course of a school year, as…

After reviewing the history and evolution of criterion referenced tests and citing the writings of other researchers, the author summarizes the current state of criterion referenced tests. They are used to measure an individual's status with respect to a well-defined behavior domain; the behavior domain can be well-ordered, structured, or…

A review of evaluation forms designed to measure the effectiveness of teacher inservice workshops reveals the absence of a standardized, norm-referenced measurement instrument. The State of Texas Education Service Center (Region 20) has developed an instrument to meet the necessary research criteria. Applicability, ease of administration, and…

This paper focuses on certain technical aspects of reading-program evaluation, noting the differences in decision-making requirements and data-collection procedures between local administrators and State and Federal evaluators. The paper discusses the following differences in decision-making requirements: evaluating groups or individuals,…

The differences between edumetric and psychometric uses of tests were described and the relevance of the edumetric dimension for measuring student learning gains, especially in the context of individualized instruction involving multiple learning mode options, was clarified. Also, the procedures for edumetric reliability and validation assessment…

This manual provides a suggested outline for a series of three workshops evolving from the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment's "School Report: A Status Profile" and "Manual for Interpreting School Reports" (both based on the Ten Goals of Quality Education). In addition to the workshops, the following are discussed: (a) Act 299--the…

This is one of the outcomes of the work of the Massachusetts Evaluation Service Center for Occupational Education (ESCOE). This programmed text is intended for use by teachers in occupational education. Some of the theory and background associated with behavioral objectives is included. The main emphasis is on teaching the skill of writing a…

Both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced measures are useful tools to the classroom teacher, but each has its specific uses. The criterion-referenced measure is useful when one is interested in whether an individual possesses particular competencies and when there are no quotas as to how many possess that skill. It is particularly useful in…

Because of misconceptions regarding appropriate measurement strategies, it is necessary to draw distinctions between two major measurement methodologies, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measurement, as they relate to determining basic academic capabilities. Norm-referenced measures are used to ascertain an individual's performance in…

To measure the educational and personal growth of students receiving associate degrees at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) in June 1972, all 594 candidates for the degree were analyzed in terms of age, sex, academic aptitude, major, and transfer intention. In addition, student-perceived educational benefits were assessed by administering five…