Describes a study used to determine differences in exam reliability, difficulty, and student evaluations. Indicates that when a fourth option was added to the three-option items, the exams became more difficult. Includes methods, results discussion, and tables on student characteristics, whole test analyses, and selected items. (RT)

The study with 37 bilingual, bicultural Mexican Americans found a significant relationship between acculturation and measures of both adaptive behavior and verbal-cognitive processes, suggesting that language-based measures are influenced by acculturation. Sensory, motor, and memory assessment procedures did not seem related to acculturation. (DB)

Sources of current misuse of standardized tests in assessing the quality of home-based educational programs are identified. Development of new instruments and cooperation of concerned groups are suggested as a means of increasing educational alternatives, excellence, and accountability. (Author/TJH)

A practical approach is outlined for adapting teacher-made tests to meet the needs of mildly handicapped mainstreamed students. The approach calls for modifying test construction, test administration, and test sites, and teaching test-taking strategies. A table lists test-taking problems (poor comprehension, poor auditory or visual perception,…

Presented is a quantitative synthesis of examiner familiarity effects on Caucasian and minority students' test performance. Fourteen controlled studies were coded in terms of methodological quality and race-ethnicity. Caucasian students performed similarly in both familiar and unfamiliar examiner conditions, while Black and Hispanic children…

Describes four criteria that can be used to evaluate methods of assessment: (1) "What are the consequences of using the test?" (2) "Is this assessment fair?" (3) "Do the skills and knowledge of this assessment transfer or generalize?" and (4) "Does this assessment cover cognitively complex task?" (KDP)

Current concepts of performance assessment are very promising, partly because they are consistent with approved curriculum practice. The contemporary rationale for performance assessment has been largely uninformed by past ideas and practices. Overreliance on standardized test scores prevails, despite the midcentury core curriculum movement and…

Because of concern about potential gender and racial bias in medical test grading, score patterns were examined for male and female and for white and African American medical freshmen (n=476) before and after implementation of an anonymous test grading policy. Results indicate no widespread grading bias before the policy change. (Author/MSE)

A pilot of a reading test to be used in college entrance examinations for black South Africans showed how students' interpretation of the test differed as the social context was altered. The multiple meanings produced by shifting power relations call into question the test's validity. (SK)

This letter reports on a research study in which five students (initially identified as severely mentally retarded and/or autistic) were tested with and without the use of facilitated communication while facilitators were prevented from hearing the test questions. Positive results for four of the students raise issues about accurate educational…

The effects of packing or skewing the response options of a scale on the common measurement problems of leniency and range restriction in instructor ratings were assessed. Results from a sample of 130 undergraduate education students indicate that packing reduced leniency but had no effect on range restriction. (TJH)

Describes the complex and sometimes conflicting components involved in reading assessment issues and proposes a solution that involves linkages among assessment audiences and approaches. Concludes with remarks about how school districts might pull together all the pieces and solve the assessment puzzle for themselves. (PRA)

Presents an interim vision of a performance assessment model for middle schools that is built on a culture of high expectations, internal accountability, and rites of passage expressed in student portfolios. Despite problems with portfolio work, all students and teachers must have ongoing experience with demanding tasks and high standards. Test…

The psychometric characteristics of 12 adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and a group without PWS but with other similar traits were compared. Results found cognitive, behavioral and educational traits often associated with PWS to be present in both groups, illustrating the importance of control/comparison groups in research establishing…

For all its attractiveness, alternative assessment is fraught with complications and difficulties, as Rhode Island's experience shows. Although alternative assessment can be systematic, there are no ways to rate large numbers of performance-based tasks, portfolios, interviews, exhibits, or essays. Some standardization is necessary, and assessment…