Three basic areas of definition, measurement, and research, voiced as concerns by members of the National Council of Measurement in Education (NCME) to its Task Force on Measurement Problems in Competency-Based Programs, are used as an organizer for a sponsored symposia and the papers in this monograph. The problem of the definition of competency…

There is currently a conflict between educational accountability and the distrust of standardized testing. Concern for the quality of education is based on evidence of students' academic dificiencies, the decline in test scores, and increasing education costs and school taxes. As a result of criticism, states have mandated, or are considering,…

When a program evaluation is conducted on the basis of gains made in standardized achievement test scores between a pretest and a posttest, serious bias can result where a floor effect exists on one or both of the test levels. Based upon the expanded standard scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills from three successive regular spring…

Despite a decade of debate, standardized achievement testing continues as one of the most controversial issues in education. This study sought the views of teachers, counselors, and principals, regarding the advantages and limitations of achievement testing programs. Responses to a questionnaire and informal discussions indicated positive…

Problems in constructing criterion referenced tests related to inadequate technical criteria, and guidelines for their solution are discussed. The need to select a well-defined domain of behaviors is emphasized as the key to test construction and to understanding students' test performance. Considerations must also be given to the most effective…

Four topics were emphasized during this conference on testing problems: (1) the selection of appropriate score scales for tests; (2) the experimental approach to the measurement of human motivation; (3) trends in public opinion polling since 1948 and their probable effects on predictions of the 1952 election; and (4) techniques for developing…

A study was conducted to determine if the observed changes in Head Start children were related to the practice effects inherent in a test-retest situation. The "control" group consisted of 64 children who had been eligible for a Head Start program. They roughly matched a group of Head Start (HS) children in IQ scores, age, and…

This article describes the problems that the College Entrance Examination Board's Committee of Review for the Examinations in English encountered in creating a fair, objective, hour-long literature achievement test which would meet four objectives--to measure the breadth of a student's reading, his understanding of that reading, his response to…

Presented in the annotated bibliography are approximately 50 citations (1974-1976) on nondiscriminatory testing of handicapped and culturally different students. Information is said to have been drawn from volume eight of Exceptional Child Education Resources. Entries are arranged by accession number and usually contain information on author,…

While most school districts believe they understand grade equivalent scores, teachers, parents, and measurement specialists frequently misinterpret this apparently simple statistical expression. Echternacht's article describes the construction, application, and interpretation of grade equivalent scores from the test publisher's perspective.…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the April, 1974 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for item-content bias between the sexes. By so doing, this study forms a logical extention of the work of Coffman (1961) on the '54 SAT, and Donlon (1973) on the '64 SAT. A study of item-sex bias was conducted using the method of delta-plots (Angoff,…

Two factors are responsible for the abuses in testing of children: emotional expectations and a misdirected educational training system. The former is most prevalent among those who are not thoroughly trained in testing and test interpretation, and should be responded to by maintaining strict certification standards. The second reason for abuses…

This report lists various factors of psychological testing which might be more relevant and appropriate for elementary school age children in such areas as Appalachia. The areas covered are group individual testing, individual intelligence testing, achievement testing, special clinical testing, social maturity, and personality evaluation…

The accountability movement in American education has received great clamors of attention in the past few years. This movement, in turn, suggests the need for particular data to inform responsible decision-making; the need for assessment instruments which can address the question of what is learned; and the need for strengthening the existing…

Although dealing broadly with issues involving program evaluation, this paper is especially concerned with large-scale evaluations of federally funded education programs that are national in scope and, to some extent at least, compensatory in nature. The paper concentrates on a few basic problem areas that seem inherent in the concept of…