Emphasis on school performance and lack of emphasis on societal harm suffered by U.S. children are misguided. Bush administration decries 9 year olds' eighth-place finish among 15 nations in the mean science score while disregarding the U.S.'s nineteenth-place world ranking in infant mortality. America 2000 is a quest for image; educational…

This case study of a nonverbal nine year old with physical handicaps examines the ethics and efficacy of using formal assessment instruments with such children, without procedural modifications or qualification of test results. Results of home and classroom observations suggested that the formal assessments did not reflect the student's actual…

This commentary on the mismeasurement of language and reading comprehension abilities argues that quantitative measures of complex behaviors and subsequent ranking of individual performance often do not accurately reflect the abstract constructs they purport to measure, and inappropriate quantification and ranking create and perpetuate potentially…

For 40 gifted students, the mean Full Scale score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was 13.52 points higher than the mean composite score of the Stanford-Binet, Fourth Edition (Binet-IV). Between the two instruments, 11 of 15 possible subscale correlations were significant. Use of the Binet-IV might result in placement of…

Explores the ethical issues involved in using standardized tests to implement a state-level policy. Examines the fourth grade science program evaluation test administered in New York State for the first time in 1989. A utilitarian view of ethics ignores the consequences of testing for different constituents, obviates caring behavior, and damages…

The General Educational Development Tests can be used to place adult basic education students for study, to measure progress achieved, to enable students to qualify for postsecondary education, and to evaluate program effectiveness. (SK)

Described is an approach that substantially reduces the annotated shortcomings of standard multiple-choice tests presented to lower-division college mathematics and statistics classes. Examples are included from each discipline. (JJK)

Authentic and direct assessment of performance and products are examined in light of contrasting functions and purposes with implications for validation, especially those of specialized validity criteria for performance assessment. The roles of positive and negative consequences of validation are underscored, along with the need for evidence of…

This book presents a timely, refreshing, and fairly solid contribution to the assessment field. It focuses on differential psychology and psychological testing related to Hispanic Americans, emphasizing the proper role of tests and several technical and social issues pertaining to Hispanic Americans. (SLD)

Two multiple-examination system, in which the best test score or the last test score counted toward the final grade were compared with a conventional testing and grading system for 271 undergraduates. The type of examination system generated no significant effect on a cumulative final, but multiple examinations appeared to result in poorer unit…

The impact of the New Standards Project English language arts Field Trial Portfolio on curriculum and classroom portfolio assessment practice was studied in the 10th-grade classrooms of two experienced teachers. Case studies conducted over the school year illustrate ways in which teachers are mediators of standards and reveal problems teachers…

Discusses the formulation of the Australian Literacy Benchmarks for Year 3 and Year 5. Suggests they (1) lay claim to designating a minimum standard; (2) represent "fuzzy" standards; and (3) are a composite based on a number of underlying criteria. Claims teachers' knowledge of student literacy achievement is a richer source of valid…

An evaluation of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Test has revealed unforeseen, counterproductive consequences. Teacher preparation colleges are adjusting curricular emphases to teach to a test of dubious validity and are inadvertently excluding substantial portions of enrollees to boost test scores. Minorities are failing at higher rates.…

A protracted class-action suit against California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing (by 15 minority individuals and 3 organizations) proved a major loss for plaintiff educators. The Ninth Circuit's ruling follows the trend of high-stakes testing decisions favoring the government, despite revised Office of Civil Rights guidelines. (MLH)

While recognizing high-stakes testing's value, both the "GI Forum" decision and the Office of Civil Rights guide raise questions that boards and educators should ask about the administration and consequences of their own testing programs. Methods for systematically collecting, analyzing, disseminating, and acting on test results are needed. (MLH)