Six articles review the results of the 1985 California Assessment Program's eighth grade test of History/Social Science. Each article reviews areas where students excelled or had difficulties and makes recommendations for adjustments in curricula or teaching procedures. (JDH)

Presents, along with working definitions and illustrative items, an overview of the eighth grade critical thinking assessment which comprises approximately 40% of the History/Social Science test of the California Assessment Program. (JDH)

Presents procedures for improving school district textbook adoption practices to create a better match between student and texts. Emphasizes the importance of overcoming both the traditional reliance on publishers for textbook adoption rationales, and the frequent aversion of educators toward using technologies such as student textbook readability…

This paper updates the concept of test validity. This new conception entails a set of 10 categories combined together in pairs: curriculum and instructional validity, statutory and forensic validity, media and journalistic validity, political and legislative validity, and partisan and activist validity. (Author/DWH)

Describes New Jersey's coordinated, statewide higher education effort involving mandatory testing, remediation, and evaluation. Reviews the program's history; the role of the New Jersey Basic Skills Council (NJBSC); the Basic Skills Placement Test, which focuses on reading comprehension, sentence sense, math computation, and elementary algebra;…

The overall effectiveness of a school program can be assessed through a matrix sampling technique. In Illinois a district gathers evaluative data in 10 content areas by administering tests to sample groups of students. (MD)

Describes an approach to evaluation in which students were given a second chance to demonstrate knowledge of the subject. Areas investigated include student willingness to retake the examination, the effect of the retake on student scores and class distribution, and the relationship between initial performance and retake score. (GS)

In order to determine whether the success of the Personalized System of Instruction is due to the unit testing procedure or the study questions prior to examinations, this study compares student achievement on course examinations after required unit testing, optional unit testing, and absence of testing. (Author/RK)

For a long time, independent schools have relied primarily upon peer-review accreditation for the purpose of accountability. Akin to the process used by colleges and universities, libraries and hospitals, school accreditation via a reputable accrediting organization is thorough, rigorous, and professional. It is rooted in two underlying…

This book presents the views of teachers, teacher educators, and administrators who write about accountability, testing, and standards programs. The chapters are: (1) "From Policy to Practice: The Research" (Allan A. Glatthorn); (2) "New York's Test-Driven Standards" (Jean Fontana); (3) "Voices from a Native American…

At a community college in Hawaii, two separate validation processes were carried out in order to install a new student placement test, each serving a different purpose at different times in the installation process. Decision Theory was used to arrive at a decision tool to allow for compromises between accuracy and enrollment management. The…

Instructional assessment is a systematic approach to solving student academic, behavioral, and social-emotional problems by identifying the key factors that have created or are encouraging the problem. The instructional support team (IST) process emphasizes assistance to students. Assessment in IST consists of ongoing analysis of student…

This digest presents 11 basic principles to guide the assessment training and professional development of teachers and administrators. These are: (1) assessment is inherently a process of professional judgment; (2) assessment is based on separate but related principles of measurement evidence and evaluation; (3) assessment decision-making is…

The results of the June 2000 CLAST administration are reported in this information capsule. Results are reported for first-time examinees, retake examinees, and students earning alternatives to the CLAST requirement. During this administration period, 3,858 Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) (Florida) students earned an alternative in at least…

Two trends have converged during the past three decades to change the face of public school education in America. First, achievement testing has been greatly expanded in terms of both the quantity of tests available and the number of uses for the information collected from testing. Second, there has been a significant increase in the development…