A two-dimensional patient management problem test was designed to measure third-year optometry students' clinical competency at Pacific University (Oregon). Results suggest this evaluation method is valid and may be useful in identifying students needing to improve their clinical thinking skills. Some issues in test administration and scoring…

Cognitive processes in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test, a nonverbal test of analytic intelligence, are analyzed in terms of processes distinguishing between high- and low-scoring students and processes common to all subjects and test items. Two experiments with 89 college students identify the abilities distinguishing among individuals. (SLD)

Shares some lessons learned from performance-based assessment in the health professions, using four performance-based assessment methods as examples: (1) written clinical simulations (patient-management problems); (2) computer-based clinical simulations; (3) oral examinations; and (4) standardized patients (live simulations). (SLD)

This study of curriculum-based assessment of the reading ability of four elementary-level students with learning disabilities found that individual-referenced tests are powerful for understanding instructional effects, whereas norm-referenced tests are best suited for determining deployment and allocation of resources. (DB)

This training module is intended to clarify the notion of portfolio assessment and help users design such assessments. The rationale for assessment alternatives is presented; and portfolio definitions, characteristics, pitfalls, and design considerations are reviewed. The use of portfolios in large-scale assessments is particularly demanding of…

Data are presented that demonstrate the reliability and construct validity of a 27-item behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) used to rate the performance of 757 nursing assistants in South Carolina. Results support the reliability and construct validity of the BARS and the usefulness of the BARS approach for evaluation. (SLD)

The background of practice and ideology that led to the national curriculum and national assessment in England and Wales is traced, along with the development of national assessment policy. The breakdown, which has resulted in teachers who refuse to conduct the prescribed testing, is described. (SLD)

Content areas that should be included in testing and measurement courses, subsidiary skills, and means of rationalizing the content and skills are outlined. Areas include basic concepts, assessment uses, assessment planning and development, interpretation of assessments, description of results, evaluation and improvement of assessments, feedback…

Some states are passing laws encouraging wider use of high school advanced placement courses and testing for college credit, with others offering less extensive support. Academic quality, competitiveness, and fiscal efficiency are objectives. Critics cite fairness questions and concerns about the appropriateness of skills tested by the equivalency…

A survey of 100 universities revealed test types, cut-off scores, and processes for testing language proficiency and performance of international teaching assistants. Results indicated the tests are complicated, time-consuming, and politically sensitive. Issues emerging include department role, use of adjustment period before teaching, and…

Two parent report inventories geared at assessing language skills in toddlers are examined, in terms of reliability, validity, and application. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Toddlers and the Language Development Survey are compared and their combined use in handicap identification is discussed. (PB)

Type I error rates of four multivariate tests (Pilai-Bartlett trace, Johansen's test, James' first-order test, and James' second-order test) were compared for heterogeneous covariance matrices in 360 simulated experiments. The superior performance of Johansen's test and James' second-order test is discussed. (SLD)

Examines problems inherent in the overuse of testing as a way to identify giftedness, especially with respect to assessing the culturally diverse. Use of portfolios is suggested as an alternative procedure that can provide a more equitable and culturally fair assessment of the culturally and linguistically diverse child. (SLD)

The Computer Attitude Scale was adapted for use with Turkish university students. Translation to Turkish and back to English established the scale. Results with 282 university students indicates the utility of the scale with Turkish students, although the construct functions differently between the cultures. (SLD)

Measuring achievement is not the same as measuring the quality of teaching and learning conditions; the validity of the former is not related to the latter. As measures of school improvement, achievement test scores have not been validated. No accumulation of evidence shows assessment to be an indicator of good schooling. (MLH)