Examines the degree to which computer and test anxiety have a predictive role in performance across three computer-administered placement tests. Subjects (72 undergraduate students) were measured with the Computer Anxiety Rating Scale, the Test Anxiety Inventory, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Results suggest that much of what is considered…

Discusses problems encountered when identifying, assessing, and deciding the language of instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse preschool children with disabilities and suggests some directions for practice in the context of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986. (SLD)

Examines the results of instruction in administering the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) in three teacher training programs. Focuses on the examination of the scoring of the IRI in simulation exercises by preservice teachers after instruction in the administration and scoring of the IRI. Concludes that the preservice teachers did not accurately…

Because educators have unrealistic expectations about tests, they use them inappropriately and draw inaccurate conclusions from results. This article debunks five myths about test-score comparisons: valid measurement of school quality; declining international competitiveness; "fixing" schools with more tests; development of new, improved…

It is argued that the statements and accusations made by Stephen Jay Gould about the use of factor analysis are incorrect and unjustified and that tests properly designed for the purpose can adequately measure a "general" or "g" factor of intelligence, particularly in view of the developments in testing since "The…

The question of validity, or how high-stakes tests are being used and interpreted, threatens to undermine the entire standards movement. Joint standards developed by three professional associations say decisions affecting students' life chances should not be based on test scores alone. Objectivity and teaching to tests are real concerns. (MLH)

Inquiry-based teaching and assessment approaches are superior to standardized tests for measuring students' progress. Historical thinking skills employed in Leopold von Ranke's 19th-century seminars have been refined to consider point of view, credibility of evidence, historical context, causality, and multiple perspectives--benchmarks of…

This study examined whether a teacher-paced video (TPV) accommodation or a student-paced computer (SPC) accommodation provided differential access for student with disabilities versus their general education peers on a large-scale math test. It found that although both pacing accommodations significantly influenced mean scores, the SPC…

Students (n=1,343) were administered either a standard format mathematics test or one in which questions were read aloud. Performance of students with learning disabilities (LD) was compared to others on specific "difficult reading" items. Elementary school students with LD (but not middle school students with LD or general education students)…

Prospects for reforming assessment are dim. Persistence of the "education crisis" is chiefly attributable to the testing industry's profit margins and its distrust of teachers--a ploy to preserve the educational power structure. Schools should be accountable to local communities, not corporate entities, as a Nebraska initiative shows.…

This study investigated the dialectal sensitivity of the T-unit as a nonbiased alternative for assessing the oral grammatical skills of school-age, nonstandard English speakers. Analysis of language samples from 28 9-year-old children (half African-American) revealed no significant differences between groups, suggesting that the T-unit may be a…

Asks several teachers what they have lost from their teaching or their classroom since the growth in mandated, standardized testing. Considers the ill effects of mandated testing, and names some educational essentials at risk of being lost while testing rules. Discusses what is lost in high-stakes multiple-choice testing of new teachers. (SG)

This article examines some problems associated with assessing students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) for special education eligibility. Major issues include over-identification of students as EBD and the continuing overrepresentation of students of minority ethnicity. Movement away from the traditional norm-referenced approach to…

A multiple choice test item is identified as flawed if it has no single best answer. In spite of extensive quality control procedures, the administration of flawed items to test-takers is inevitable. Common strategies for dealing with flawed items in conventional testing, grounded in the principle of fairness to test-takers, are reexamined in the…

The interest in the application of large-scale computerized adaptive testing has served to focus attention on issues that arise when theoretical advances are made operational. Some of these issues stem less from changes in testing conditions and more from changes in testing paradigms. One such issue is that of the order in which questions are…