Presents citations in the ERIC database on testing and assessment in the social studies. Includes items concerning the nature of testing, tests as guides for curriculum, the impact of testing, and the validity of performance grades. Suggests works on context effect, history instruction, and what students need to know. (DK)

Describes assessment in the German school system as regular, systematic, and officially controlled through legislation. Emphasizes that even strict grading levels combine criterion and norm referencing because teacher determination must include a subjective element. Concludes that other systems may best learn negative lessons from the German…

Discusses computerized adaptive testing, which is designed to provide students with an individualized examination adjusted to their skill levels. Indicates that scores are derived by comparing correct answers with the answers' difficulty rating. Highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the system and provides guidelines for successful…

Discusses the causes and potential solutions to the problem of the ubiquity of testing that affects the learning environment, the curriculum, and the nature of the teacher-student relationship. Proposes utilizing multiple-choice tests with partial credit. (MDH)

Outlines the evaluation pressures that prevent teachers from focusing on the main goal of education: stimulating students to think. Students are under their own pressures that detract from real learning. Definition of the word "think" (to exercise the mind otherwise than by passive reception of another's thoughts) is used to illustrate examples of…

Reviews research literature on comparability issues in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and synthesizes issues specific to comparability and test security. Develops a framework for evaluating comparability that contains three categories of criteria: (1) validity; (2) psychometric property/reliability; and (3) statistical assumption/test…

Describes the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study. Compares the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics Report Card with the IEA Civic Education Study. Focuses on the gaps in the NAEP that the IEA research will fill. (CMK)

Provides information on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Evaluates the NAEP arts assessment on three different issues (fact finding, influencing instruction, and "placing product"), considering the political spin given the arts NAEP. Highlights several concerns regarding the arts literacy campaign as a vehicle for…

Presents remarks from panel members on the subject of student performance assessments. Panelists' comments include equity issues; assessment as a tool for teaching and learning and as a necessary reflection of learning goals; the issue of "multiple intelligences"; student participation in assessments; and the uses of portfolio assessment…

Presents a case study of a college student with a learning disability who was wrongly diagnosed as borderline retarded by her high school. Discusses probable reasons for and consequences of the misdiagnosis and describes postsecondary level strategies used that enabled the student to succeed. (27 citations) (MAB)

Discusses some problems, pitfalls, and paradoxes that challenge measurement theory and practice, especially for K-12 achievement testing. Considers a number of technical issues, especially some related to reliability. Also discusses a number of practical or political issues related to validation and accountability. (SLD)

The psychometric literature is replete with comprehensive discussions of test validity, test validation, and the characteristics of quality assessment programs. The most authoritative source for guidance regarding sound test development and evaluation practices is the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. However, the Standards are…

This article presents initial findings from an evaluation research study of the implementation of a Web-based decision support tool, the Quality School Portfolio (QSP), developed at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The study focused on…

Teachers can implement effective strategies to assist test-anxious students. By being aware of the types of student with these traits, they can develop, modify, and implement various strategies into their teaching repertoires. Furthermore, teachers who employ formative factors, habitual prudence, purposeful learning experiences, and test-wise…

Factors that contribute to the performance gap between subgroups and mainstream students deserve special attention. Different subgroups are faced with different sets of challenges. To understand and control for factors leading to the performance gap between subgroups and mainstream students one must clearly understand the issues specific to each…