This paper argues that the standard "When it is expected that a test will be used to make norm-referenced assessments of groups rather than individuals, normative data based on appropriate group statistics should be provided," which was considered secondary in the 1985 "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" and…

Topics related to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed. Issues affecting the impact of testing on education include: what is tested; how scores are referenced; internal versus external sources of testing; and the rewards, sanctions, or stakes associated with test results. Testing has both intentional (direct) and…

This paper examines a number of issues surrounding the addition of a dimension of international comparisons to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The basic position of the paper is that adding an international dimension to NAEP is certainly possible, but some problems will need to be overcome. Non-issues are identified and…

This paper (1) identifies strategies for assessing student instructional needs so that educational prescriptions can be developed to promote learning; and (2) relates the identification of student needs to the development of learning prescriptions. The population discussed includes high school and college students who because of social, economic,…

To examine the validity of short forms of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the WISC-R was first administered to 106 hospitalized psychiatric patients, aged 8-16. No subjects had a primary diagnosis of mental retardation or learning disability, and one-third were receiving psychotropic medication. WISC-R IQ scores…

The workshop examines testing approaches for use with bilingual or limited English speaking students in determining eligibility and need for special services. The workshop covers the following areas: (1) an overall process for deciding whether a student may be in need of special services; (2) ways to alleviate or avoid problems which may impact on…

Old Order Amish are readily distinguishable from others in society by their dissociation from "modern" convenience and dress. Students in an Old Order Amish school in Iowa receive instruction in language arts from a secular basal language arts workbook, and a basal reader containing biblical stories. Comprehension of content is evaluated…

This manual is intended to provide Illinois school districts with guidance in developing learning assessment plans and using testing materials as part of the school improvement program mandated by the 1985 educational reform legislation for Illinois. Designed primarily to be a series of "how to" booklets, the manual is divided into six…

A study was conducted at Pima Community College to determine the relationship between the final grade received by students in an introductory, algebra-based physics course (PHY 121) and their scores on the reading, writing, and mathematics portions of the college's nonmandatory assessment test. Between 1983 and 1988, 639 students obtained a final…

The legislation mandating Louisiana's Basic Skills Test was consistent with federal legislation in specifically including special education students. The development of policy alternatives for the testing of these students, however, was a complex process. Related issues include: (1) inclusion/exclusion of special education students, (2)…

Survey results have suggested that, while teachers like to have test information available, most do not have great skill or consistency in interpreting test score data. Teachers who consider a certain type of test very valuable or useful are less likely to question the accuracy of the scores than are teachers who consider a test to be of little…

Previous studies of test item bias have investigated how different groups of examinees perform differently on a given set of items. These studies imply that examinees should be treated in a certain way because they are of a particular sex or race rather than as individuals in their own right, but it is unrealistic and unfair to assume such an…

The controversies surrounding the use of intelligence quotient (IQ) tests with children are summarized. This article discusses what intelligence is and how intelligence is measured. It also examines factors which can affect measurement, including examiner training or bias, examinee age, misinterpretation of test scores, and poor tests. The…

Some examinees' test-taking behavior may be so idiosyncratic that their scores are not comparable to the scores of more typical examinees. Appropriateness indices, which provide quantitative measures of response-pattern atypicality, can be viewed as statistics for testing a null hypothesis of normal test-taking behavior against an alternative…

Arguing that educational testing has not grown with the theory and knowledge base of the reading field, this paper cites the current configuration of testing as a major contributor to the instructional stagnation, methodological back-to-basics movement, and general lack of excitement and true innovation found in classrooms and schools today. The…