Efforts to implement affirmative action programs will not be effective until alternatives to the traditional use of standardized tests in admissions, grading, and tracking are considered. These test scores are used in college admissions to predict college grades. Some kind of selective admissions process is needed, but admissions procedures should…

The methods used to assign grades to students have long been of concern to teachers. Traditional approaches to solving the difficulties have centered on norm-referenced and criterion-referenced evaluations. A promising alternative arises when criterion-referenced evaluation is linked with contract grading. A student may contract with a teacher to…

Basic test terminology is explained for parents of school children. Terms which are defined include aptitude, achievement, criterion referenced tests, norm referenced tests, and intelligence quotient. Brief discussions of the advantages and limitations of tests are included. Testing is seen as providing valuable information to the school, students…

The opinions presented reflect those of the National Education Association Task Force on Testing: that norm referenced tests are often misused, and that problems are also associated with criterion referenced tests. A list of warnings for teachers considering the use of criterion referenced tests includes: (1) common deficiencies in testing need to…

The 1973 statewide (Maryland) educational accountability plan, for which this report was compiled, called for the development and establishment of statewide and local goals in reading, writing, and mathematics; a comprehensive and uniform statewide testing program; procedures for collecting data on student, home, community, and school…

Operating under the assumption that: (1) state agencies routinely collect large amounts of data; (2) these data possess significant potential for evaluating VR programs; and (3) the program evaluation potential of these data has been largely untapped, the W. Va. Research and Training Center has been developing techniques for evaluating…

This paper describes the methods used for revising the Cincinnati Mathematics Inventories, a battery of criterion-referenced tests of basic skills used in the Cincinnati Title III program and other city-wide special programs. Each of these tests is designed to cover a half-year of work; items are included to sample skills listed in the Catalog of…

The present study was designed to examine whether or not traditional procedures concerning item selection and reliability are both applicable and appropriate for criterion-referenced (CR) tests. It was also designed to examine traditional procedures and those designed especially for CR testing in relation to test variance and item homogeneity.…

It was hypothesized that, with stimulus words selected for familiarity and associative hierarchy, extreme responders give faster and more common or popular free associations than nonextreme responders. Results did not support this hypothesis. Predicted effects of stimulus word attributes were observed. (Author)

The position of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Test Department is set forth for the use of standardized instruments with urban and minority group pupils. Concern is with the effectiveness and usability of the instruments by the organization that published them. Renewed and intensified attention is given to certain aspects of the traditional…

The results and proceedings of the first annual Bilingual/Bicultural Testing and Assessment Workshop, held in Berkeley, California, on January 27-28, 1972, are presented in this publication. Approximately 150 bilingual psychologists and evaluators, educators working in bilingual/bicultural programs, and community representatives from California…

This paper addresses itself to the history and use of standardized aptitude and achievement tests for practical judgements about schools in New Jersey. In the author's opinion, school-wide aptitude testing is not a particularly useful practice when other types of information, particularly grades, achievement tests, and teacher's comments, are…

This project began with the delineation of the roles and functions of respiratory therapy personnel by the American Association for Respiratory Therapy. In Phase II, The Psychological Corporation used this delineation to develop six proficiency examinations, three at each of two levels. One exam at each level was designated for the purpose of the…

This study compared the criterion-related validity of interest inventories measuring basic types of interests. A significant characteristic of reports based on same-sex norms is they suggest similar vocational options to males and females. The other reporting procedures typically suggest options traditional for a person's sex. (Author)

Problems which arise when criterion referenced test results are used to evaluate the effects of an elementary school reading program are discussed. Topics include: alternative methods of analyzing test results, sensitivity of the instrument to program outcomes, and comparison of criterion referenced and norm referenced achievement test data.…