This paper describes pilot testing of Great Britain's standard assessment tasks (SATs), focusing on children with special educational needs. Two SATs were produced (Change and Movement) to assess three core subjects (English, mathematics, and science.) The need for SAT adaptations to allow children with disabilities equal access is stressed. (JDD)

Identifies problems inherent in writing assessment. Suggests that the measurement of minority students' test results can pose difficulties. Cites the practical impossibility of finding objectively true answers to some questions and of making value-free assessments of what students learn. Highlights conflicting views of writing teachers and writing…

Test taking and scoring are examined from the normative and descriptive perspectives of judgment and decision theory. The number-right scoring rule is endorsed because it discourages omissions and is robust against variability in respondent motivations, item vagaries, and limitations in judgments of uncertainty. (SLD)

National standards and assessments (President Clinton's Goals 2000 Act) are being proposed to improve schools. This article reviews the bill and examines equity issues, including disparities in instructional conditions among racial/ethnic groups. Using tests to change teaching and learning reflects overreliance on top-down policy, distrust of…

Sixty-three preservice teachers were asked to respond to the idea of cheating while administering a standardized test to their students. Over half said they would cheat under certain conditions, such as benefit to the students or if the test was inappropriate. Cheating considered acceptable included giving hints, rewording items, and teaching to…

The shift from multiple-choice testing to performance assessment has brought a subtle shift in measurement philosophy. Selecting assessment tasks based on inherent value complicates inferences from test scores to nontest situations. A measurement-driven reform strategy relying on performance assessments to drive curriculum and instruction seems…

The effect that mode of administration, computer versus paper and pencil, had on the performance of 120 middle school students on multiple choice and written test questions was studied. Results show that, for students accustomed to writing on computers, responses written on the computer were more successful. Implications for testing are discussed.…

Discusses salient aspects of multiculturalism and its importance for the future, focusing on applications such as mentoring, counseling, special education, general education, and contemporary sociological theory. Multiculturalism is essential for establishing the information highway, distributing and marketing information, and adapting effectively…

Standards-based reform is about setting standards and measuring attainment in criterion-referenced ways. Assessments should measure and monitor students' current achievement and progress over time. As Massachusetts testing deficiencies illustrate, assessments must stress longitudinal over cross-sectional designs, valued performances, developmental…

Critics of the Virginia Standards of Learning claim the tests do not allow teachers and students to explore their own interests. Proponents say the tests might force schools to cut out time-wasting activities (like Friday movies) and concentrate on performance. Parents worry about their kids' progress. (MLH)

Comparison of teacher-assigned grades and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores in English, math, and science for 736 eighth-graders reveals that MCAS hurts African-Americans and Latinos/as in math and girls in math and science. Equitability disparities indicate the need for caution in high-stakes testing; scores should be…

Reports on the data gleaned from the survey on dance education administered simultaneously with the 1997 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) arts assessments. Presents the process and problems of developing and implementing assessments in dance. Considers the value of the assessments to dance and offers recommendations for the…

The stability of a 2-factor model proposed for the Gibb Experimental Test of Testwiseness was studied with 173 undergraduates. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate that data fit the two-factor model and a simpler one-factor model. The Gibb test could be characterized as tapping a general testwiseness proficiency. (SLD)

Examines mandated testing impact on curriculum and instruction in mathematics and science for minority students. Survey responses from 2,229 math and science teachers of minority classes and interviews with 289 urban educators show tests are not adequately sampling higher-order thinking or high-level conceptual or procedural knowledge in either…

Although there are new forms of cheating among college students, particularly technology-related, overall cheating has increased only modestly. Significant increases in test cheating are occurring among women and in unpermitted collaboration among students on written work. Also, students report engaging in a wider variety of test-cheating…