Higher education institutions have difficulty providing stakeholders with reliable, valid information about student achievement. High stakes assessment data are ambiguous in communicating such information. It is important to distinguish criterion-referenced assessment from norm-referenced assessment. This paper proposes a system that goes beyond…

The Minneapolis Public School System has been implementing an intervention-based approach to special education placement. This Problem-Solving Model (PSM) was designed to de-emphasize the role of norm-referenced tests and to provide early instructional interventions. The basic outline of the PSM is to define the problem, determine the best…

In a study prompted by the need to standardize the reporting of educational progress of adult language minority students in Illinois, a commonly used adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) reading test was compared with two frequently used Adult Basic Education (ABE) reading tests. The testing instruments used were the ELSA (English Language…

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) study describes either 3- or 4-year trends in average campus-level passing rates on TAAS at all grade levels. It discusses student, teacher, campus, and district characteristics as they may relate to student success on TAAS by looking at data for students in grades 4, 8, and 10 for four consecutive…

A study examined the ecological validity of five modified measures for children in the prereading and initial reading stages of development. Subjects, 650 students in two cohorts, kindergarten through second grade, were administered modifications of the Early Reading Test (ERT), the Chicago Reading Test (Chicago), the Error Detection Test (EDT),…

The measurement of intelligence (I.Q. testing method) has been based on test item construction methods that set norms for mental levels. Individual performance levels are determined by the distribution of scores based on the total group or mean score. The problem with this method of assessment for research purposes is that idiosyncratic…

Self-concept ideas can be reformulated and integrated into an objectives oriented model of school learning. Bloom's model (1976) involving mastery learning already incorporates self-concept elements, but needs to be developed theoretically to include norm-referenced as well as criterion-referenced approaches to assessing self-concepts. This…

Ways to use classroom tests as an aid to students of foreign languages are discussed, with particular reference to retesting. (RM)

This module explains principles of competency-based education and assessment. Four competency-based curricula are outlined. The guide includes a list of definitions and uses a question-and-answer format to define competency-based education and to discuss competency-based assessment, criterion-referenced testing, and the Vocational Instructional…

Without changing teaching methods or asking for additional funds, a small western Oregon elementary school district made dramatic gains in test scores in less than one school year. The superintendent spearheaded a cooperative effort by the district's administrators and teachers to revise the curriculum, beginning by compiling and displaying, in…

Guidelines for evaluation of school programs in the State of Florida are presented. The purpose of evaluation is to modify the content and method of instruction, provide information to decision-makers and the public, provide feedback to participants, and determine criteria for program success. The optimal evaluation design for either innovative or…

The stability of annual normal curve equivalent (NCE) on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills over a period of six years was established in a previous study of status (position within a reference group). This study investigated the relationship between status stability and student achievement level. Third grade students in a suburban school district who…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a sample of community college students revealed different amounts of communication apprehension (reticence or anxiety experienced during spoken communication) than four-year college students and university students. Seventy John Wood Community College students, selected at random from…

Twelve tests of reading and math at the elementary level are classified according to a model which makes a distinction between criterion and domain tests. Score reporting and item analysis techniques are discussed. It is argued that most objectives-referenced tests do not specify their domains sufficiently to make interpretations more general than…

Three local norm methods for deriving Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I normal curve equivalent (NCE) gains are compared to each other and to the usual Model A1 which uses national norms. The 1977-78 Title I evaluation data for Chicago students ages 9-13 were used to estimate gains. Reading and total math scores from the 1971 Iowa Tests…