Declining test scores are but a reflection of the problems prevalent in American schools but improving school performance is not totally within the control of teachers. A National Education Association Teacher Opinion Study indicates that teachers think tests become an end in themselves rather than a basis for sound educational purposes.…

Many teachers are hesitant to use test results because they do not believe they have sufficient training in measurement. Inappropriate test use is a threat, but teachers like tests if the tests are compatible with classroom instruction and results are not used to the exclusion of other types of information. (Author/CM)

Discusses test-taking skills and their application to tests of reading achievement. Presents a rationale for teaching these skills, lists a comprehensive set of skills relevant to standardized reading tests, and offers suggestions for teaching the skills and helping children use them. (FL)

Tests the relationship between locus of control and drug abuse and the influence of test instructions and social desirability. Results of research with incarcerated offenders indicated test instructions aimed at heightening social desirability artificially inflated locus of control scores. Found no significant differences between drug abusers and…

The diversity in college admissions policies is described and the relationship between these policies and admissions testing is explained. The consequences of government regulation of testing is discussed. Colleges are urged to defend their autonomy in admissions and to act responsibly in that respect. (Author/AL)

Investigated the extent to which the Personality Attributes Questionnaire and the Bem Sex Role Inventory assigned the same individuals to identical sex-role categories. Less than 55 percent of the subjects were assigned to identical categories. Suggests care must be taken when comparing results of studies that employ different instruments. (Author)

Norm-referenced testing is not appropriate for use in teacher evaluation. A truly equitable method of teacher evaluation is based on a clear set of instructional targets and on the teacher's effectiveness in helping students master the specific skills and knowledge targeted. (Author/MLF)

Learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and unclassified male students tested when 6 to 11 years of age with the Elizur Test of Psycho-Organicity were reassessed four years later. The test-retest reliability, subtest reliabilities, and pattern of subtest intercorrelations were found to be stable, but individual subtest scores should be used with…

Test data were used to compare the grading of two forms of double mathematics: pure and applied math, and regular and advanced math. Results confirm expectations that in the former system, the grading is comparable, and in the latter, it is not necessarily comparable. Implications for student admission are discussed. (MSE)

Examines the arguments against the indiscriminate use of readability formulas. (FL)

Describes relationship between curriculum and learner evaluation in Jordan of English language teaching. Claims Oxford Secondary English Course for Jordan tests are defective, speaking is ignored in tests, reading comprehension is neglected and tests are exclusively discrete-point tests. Suggests use of cloze tests and translation. (BK)

A survey of problems in assessment and examinations in modern languages is offered, focusing in part on lack of consensus among teachers on relative weighting of qualities sought in student answers. Developments in standardized examinations are noted. (MSE)

With an understanding of the rules of scoring and an appreciation of the need for correctness, the scoring of the Adaptive Behavior Scale, Public School Version, will result in fewer errors. Lacking adequate preparation in scoring, the practitioner should be aware of the potential unreliability of results. (Author)

Minimum competency testing seems here to stay. The challenge to teachers is to promote public realization that test performance cannot completely measure complex skills; that mandated basic skills instruction may be an oversimplification of the teaching/learning process; and that definitions of minimum competence constantly change. (SJL)

The author considers the dominant paradigm in reading comprehension research inadequate, because the skills measured by comprehension tests are unlikely to represent the full range of typical reading behaviors. He describes a preliminary study using an alternative, qualitative interview methodology to analyze the reading difficulties of eight…