Educational assessment tools are used for accountability; selection and licensure, and to measure the effects of instruction for student diagnosis and treatment. Psychometric instruments currently in use are flawed in two ways: they attempt to rank people on fundamentally multidimensional traits, and the problem of the validity of these…

A number of organizational, personal and methodological characteristics have been identified through the literature which inhibit or can be used to facilitate the use of evaluation and testing information. Inhibitors of information usage include organizational characteristics such as loosely coupled and decentralized systems, personal…

Criticisms of norm referenced standardized tests are contrasted with the assumption and claims of proponents of Rasch model testing and item banking. The Rasch test theory model is based on the assumption of equal interval curriculum referenced scales for both students' abilities and test item difficulties. The Portland school district has…

The enthusiasm for competency testing poses a contradiction, for it comes at a time when questions and criticisms are being increasingly raised about tests and their use. In three sections, this paper explores the competency testing movement: 1) main features and basic issues in the competency testing movements; 2) observations on the politics of…

As part of the development of a collection of criterion-referenced test reviews, a survey was conducted to determine the information needs of educators who select tests. Three aspects of test selection were emphasized: (1) factors affecting choices among available tests; (2) consumers' knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about criterion referenced…

In an effort to comply with bilingual instruction requirements, school districts throughout California will soon be involved in testing vast numbers of children to determine language proficiency and language dominance. Many language tests will require a child to repeat a sentence or a phrase in exactly the same manner that is stated by an examiner…

DATA FROM THE PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION PORTION OF THE CEEB ENGLISH COMPOSITION TEST (ECT) WERE CONVERTED TO THE ORIGINAL RANK-ORDER AND WERE THEN RESCORED BY THREE SYSTEMS USING SPEARMAN'S RHO TO DETERMINE WHICH METHOD YIELDED SCORES THAT CORRELATED BEST WITH TOTAL ESSAY SCORES. TWO OF THE METHODS INVESTIGATED, ONE IN WHICH THE NUMBER OF SCORES WAS…

FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE TESTING OF MINORITY GROUP CHILDREN ARE PRESENTED. THE CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS OF MENTAL TESTING ARE TOO OFTEN DEVELOPED FOR THE INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL WAYS OF MIDDLE-CLASS CHILDREN. AS A RESULT MINORITY GROUP CHILDREN ARE EXCLUDED FROM OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING BECAUSE OF "CULTURAL DEPRIVATION." THE GUIDE…

This program of research has three general thrusts. First, the relations between motivation and achievement performance were studied across children of various sociocultural backgrounds including lower- and middle- class white, black, and hispanic children. Motivational test bias was found to be strong for students of all sociocultural…

Questions are raised about the time within a test administration period that may be available for review for those candidates who have time enough, or more than enough, to finish. The assumption is proposed that rate of work may be normally distributed. The rate of work for those who have finished a test cannot be determined from their answer…

We should seek an updated perspective on intelligence testing because it is useful to reevaluate any practice that has long become institutionalized, especially one that is subject to severe criticism. Cultural bias is the most prominent criticism. Testing proponents contend that intelligence tests reflect skills and knowledge emphasized in school…

For the most part, standardized tests are verbal and presuppose that the test takers know the language, culture, and values of the test makers, who usually represent white, middle class language and values. The communication problems that minority groups face when taking standardized tests include phonological biases (especially when the tests are…

AN INTRODUCTION WHICH STATES THE PURPOSES OF AN EVALUATION OF FLES PROGRAMS AND STRESSES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VALUE JUDGMENT AND EVALUATION IS FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN EVALUATION AND CURRICULUM. TEST AND MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING FLES PROGRAMS ARE THEN SUGGESTED. A CONCLUDING SECTION INDICATES THE DESIGN OF A…

Central New York's 1968 migrant summer school programs were sampled and evaluated on the basis of meeting Crewson's objectives as stated in 1967: (1) improvement of self-concept; (2) development of language ability and vocabulary; (3) development of social and academic skills; (4) expansion of cultural experiences; and (5) establishment of sound…

Different viewpoints regarding educational testing are described. While some people advocate continuing reliance upon standardized tests, others favor the discontinuation of such achievement and intelligence tests. The author recommends a moderate view somewhere between these two extremes. Problems associated with standardized testing in the…