This paper provides a theoretical discussion of educational program evaluation. Psychometric theory and developmental psychology are compared as they pertain to the testing of children. The nature of change in childhood makes it necessary to examine the assumptions and goals related to the testing of children as a means of evaluating educational…

The conference theme was Testing--Then and Now, based upon the assumption that psychometrists should review their origins and look forward to their future. In the area of intelligence testing, Nancy Bayley discussed the research that re-assessed previous concepts of the nature of intellectual growth and decline. Thelma Thurstone discussed new…

Prepared to help rural communities meet the needs of troubled and delinquent youth, this booklet describes exemplary programs implemented in nine rural areas. The introduction outlines the specific problems faced by rural communities and small towns in providing youth services, i.e., limited resources to focus on youth problems, greater distances…

Using game theory as a model, suggestions are made to improve tenured public school teachers' individualized professional improvement plans. Seven basic concepts are discussed: (1) the game concept, a situation which involves decision making by the participants; (2) strategy--a plan for behavior under varied circumstances; (3) payoff--the value of…

A two-part organizational development project carried out at the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry is described in this brief report. The project goal was to find out what the school is like and how it is perceived by both staff and students. The first phase, needs assessment, was carried out to identify critical…

Reflections on past and future uses of intelligence tests are presented. Three current approaches to intelligence tests are described: (1) neural efficiency, which relates the speed or quality of functioning of the neural system to test results; (2) information processing--cognitive micro-processes used in solving test items; and (3)…

The concern that minimum competency testing programs allow minimum performance levels to be accepted as the maximum was investigated, using reading and mathematics achievement test data in one state. State and local school district standards were defined as the number of students falling below each standard, thus needing remediation. Test results…

Options are suggested for using and expanding upon the RMC models for evaluating the effectiveness of Title I mastery learning programs with planned high turnover of students. Examples are given of uses of the diagnostic and reporting systems for program planning and decision making. It is suggested that consideration be given to: (1) determining…

Housing and social conditions in urban America suggest a major shift of the inner city poor to the older suburban neighborhoods. This paper explores that anticipated massive population exchange and suggests ways to measure its effect on the schooling process. The concern here is that thousands of poor city dwellers will relocate to the suburbs and…

This publication is primarily designed for educational practitioners who possess little or no training in conducting mail surveys or have not kept current on the present state of the art of survey methods and techniques. It is also intended to be a checking and comparing aid to ensure that important research considerations are taken into account.…

Federal policy and research regarding staff development in rural areas must take into consideration the inherent limitations in teacher inservice and preservice education, rural educational problems (limited human resources, migrant education, modern education services) that could be remedied by improved staff development, and the role of both the…

Education for rural areas must go far beyond the concept of formal schooling; it must become a system of learning arrangements in which the learner, in response to his environment, is the chief agent of his learning. There is no single model or educational approach; programs must be adapted to the varying circumstance or situations. When providing…

Indian students who have withdrawn from public schools for various reasons may receive alternative education at Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Boarding Schools, but they may also face academic, environmental, and personal problems. Attending a boarding school involves a radical culture break. Students are often far from home, deprived of parental…

Based on a review of literature by proponents and opponents of the back to basics movements, the authors contend that the movement will contribute to the continued existence of a stratified society in which the school reproduces existing power relationships. A summary of the literature of proponents presents varying ideas of what constitutes…

This conference focuses upon various aspects of testing within a society, and upon technical advances in measurement. Philip H. DuBois's paper deals with China, a society dominated by tests, from 1115 BC--1905 AD. Donald W. Fiske discusses the effect of testing on the individual in modern America in his paper, "The Subject Looks at…