All measures presently available for first, third, fifth, and sixth grade testing were evaluated according to the MEAN procedure which reflects measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. Major shortcomings of these measures are presented. A factor analysis revealed four dimensions…

Test items for the introduction to psychology and leadership course (see the final reports which summarize the course development project, EM 010 418, EM 010 419, and EM 010 484) which were compiled as part of the project documentation and which are coordinated with the text-workbook on individual behavior (EM 010 421, EM 010 422, EM 010 423, EM…

Test items for the introduction to psychology and leadership course (see the final reports which summarize the course development project, EM 010 418, EM 010 419, and EM 010 484) which were compiled as part of the project documentation and which are coordinated with the text-workbook on individual behavior (EM 010 421, EM 010 422, EM 010 423, EM…

This paper examines the development and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures, and elaborates on the distinction between them and norm-referenced measures. The concept of sensitivity is introduced as an appropriate method for evaluating such measures, and a sensitivity index is proposed. The traditional model for the response of a subject to…

Contains five articles about various aspects of British science education. Includes articles on norm referenced versus criterion referenced assessment, proportionality in science education, practical skills in advanced level chemistry, creating an antiracist ethos, and heat transfer experiments. (TW)

Maintaining the precision necessary for administering norm referenced tests can be a problem for the special education teacher who is trained to assist the student. Criterion-referenced tests, observations, and interviews are presented as effective alternative assessment techniques. (JDD)

This paper describes the background of various accountability systems, discusses policy issues related to the use of educational accountability information, and offers a history of the school-accountability law in Nevada. The paper concludes that because policymakers continue to express concerns about uniform measurements and comparability, it is…

The Adolescent Behavior Checklist is a self-report scale used to assess the likelihood that an adolescent with mild mental retardation or borderline intelligence has a diagnosable mental illness. The scale was found to be more effective in screening in adolescents with psychiatric diagnoses than in screening out adolescents without psychiatric…

Conjoint behavioural consultation (CBC) is an indirect form of service delivery in which parents and teachers are joined together in a collaborative effort to meet the academic, social, and behavioral needs of children. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the utility of CBC as a method of supporting the inclusion of 2 students with…

Eighty-three students enrolled in general education classrooms and 62 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in bilingual education classrooms were assessed in reading English three times a year using curriculum-based measurement. Fluency in Spanish passages was also assessed for Spanish-speaking ELLs in the bilingual education…

As part of its academic testing program and the evaluation of academic achievement, the Des Moines (Iowa) Public School System administers two standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests. These are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED). This document provides information regarding…

The goal of the district assessment program of the Des Moines (Iowa) school district is to provide information which improves teaching and increases learning. Students participate in a number of assessment activities, including norm-referenced, standardized tests, college entrance examinations, Advanced Placement Tests, the district's…

During the 1980s, considerable attention was given to the influence of "effective" elementary schools on students' school achievement. Effective schools were typically defined as those with certain characteristics that had been found to be positively correlated with student achievement scores. This paper presents findings of a longitudinal study…

The accountability system that is being implemented in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas) is a three-tier system. The first tier focuses at the school level. The second involves the District Improvement Plan, setting district accountability objectives. The third tier involves school effectiveness indices, which take into account…

The effect of alternating criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) with norm-referenced tests (NRTs) when evaluating schools was studied in a sample of 242 Louisiana public elementary schools accounting for over 18,000 third graders tested in 1989. The study used five separate multiple regression models, each producing studentized residuals used as…