This document presents five scenarios, each referring to a means of assessing learning. These examples are then used to discuss pitfalls faced when tests are used to assess learning, and the conclusion is reached that testing should play a supportive role only, not a major role in the quest for excellence. Effective schools research shows that…

Covariance structure modelling is applied to the problem of estimating reliability and measurement error in survey data. To provide a basis for grouping certain question or variable types (data from questions), a simple typology based on the formal characteristics of the questions is outlined. From this classification, models for the different…

Many difficulties are encountered when large-scale monitoring of federally-funded programs (including Title VII bilingual education programs) has been attempted. These difficulties may be categorized as follows: (1) differences in perception of the purpose of monitoring; (2) variance in the definition of the treatment (program) and expectations…

Focusing on technical issues, this paper critiques proposed changes in assessment procedures at the further educational level (ages 16 through 18) in England and Wales. Major structural changes are taking place at this educational level, partly because of large scale youth unemployment. The two current examination systems for the final year of…

This guide--written for school administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, and the community--describes educational tests and measurements and test-related statistics. While specifically intended to help readers interpret the tests administered in the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District, this information may also be used to…

Findings are reviewed from a descriptive study which evaluated special education placement of Hispanic students. A clinical case study approach was used to analyze student characteristics from individual program folders, and policy and practice were examined. The appropriateness of the data, expertise of the professionals, and the role of the…

How accurately ability is estimated when the test model does not fit the data is considered. To address this question, this study investigated the accuracy of the maximum likelihood estimator of ability for the one-, two- and three-parameter logistic (PL) models. The models were fitted into generated item characteristic curves derived from the…

A common assumption is that boys are innately superior in analytical and quantitative skills and girls are superior in verbal skills. Research indicates, however, that these assumptions hold true only at certain times in the life cycle of each sex. There is evidence that cultural attitudes, rather than innate sex differences, account for…

On the basis of research among the Portuguese in a Massachusetts district, the author finds that two features of the culture of the school in the United States contrast sharply with the corresponding features in Portugal: the degree of "social freedom" and "pedagogical freedom" allowed students. The behavioral parameters of…

This report was prepared to provide recommendations for testing adult dyslexics for employment purposes. Since the literature on dyslexia does not deal directly with this topic, the recommendations are based primarily on inferences from what is known about the diagnosis, etiology and treatment of dyslexia in children. A summary of the major…

Resolutions presented at the NAACP 67th Annual Convention concerned armed services and veterans affairs; civil rights (particularly basic civil rights); federal government compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; affirmative action legislation; consolidated procedural rules for civil rights enforcement; the Hatch Act; violence…

The testing of bilingual students poses particular problems for analyses of performance, item bias, and test adequacy. A test administered in two languages to children selected for their language facility provides a special arena for the study of these problems. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) was selected because the test content…

Instructors who develop classroom examinations that require students to provide a numerical response to a mathematical problem are often very concerned about the appropriateness of the multiple-choice format. The present study augments previous research relevant to this concern by comparing the difficulty and reliability of multiple-choice and…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether it would be possible to equate rights-scored to formula-scored tests without causing a discontinuity in the meaning of the score scale. Several other subsidiary studies--of the characteristics of the two scoring methods, of nonresponse and guessing, and of reliability and parallelism--were also…

The paper discusses the effects of a specific culture, in this case Chilean, on bilingual handicapped students' responses to test items. Even though the tests used were Spanish translations, Ss' responses were influenced by lifestyles, the educational system, and the physical resources available in the classroom setting. Evidence is cited to…