This project provides a list of criteria for which the contents of interpretive guides written for customized, criterion-referenced tests can be evaluated. The criteria are based on the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (1999) and examine the content breadth of interpretive guides. Interpretive guides written for…

Educators need accurate assessments of preschool cognitive growth to guide curriculum design, evaluation, and timely modification of their instructional programs. But available tests do not provide content breadth or growth sensitivity over brief intervals. This article details evidence for a multiform, multiscale test criterion-referenced to…

On a general level, the objective of diagnostic classifications models (DCMs) lies in a classification of individuals regarding multiple latent skills. In this article, the authors show that this objective can be achieved by multidimensional adaptive testing (MAT) as well. The authors discuss whether or not the restricted applicability of DCMs can…

This report has a simple aim: to present results from international assessments so readers can judge for themselves how American students stack up globally. It's intended to be a stand-alone supplement to the "Education Olympics" web event held between August 8th and August 22nd, 2008 (see edolympics.net). It shows how the U.S. has…

The teacher's task of assigning letter grades to students and the public's interpretation of them can be perplexing. Does the student's grade represent the level of achievement, the gain in achievement, or some combination of the two? Is the student's effort included in the grade, or are high achievers given good marks regardless of effort? Are…

Value-added models help to evaluate the knowledge that school districts, schools, and teachers add to student learning as students progress through school. In this article, the well-known Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) is examined. The author presents a practical investigation of the methodological issues associated with the…

Several innovations in educational testing are discussed as alternatives to standardized tests. (RC)

A measure of potential performance for counselors is needed as an adjunct to the information presently employed in selection decisions. One possible method of developing such a potential performance criterion and the steps taken in attempting to validate it are discussed. (Author)

Author presented a six-point model for purposes of diagnosing program success or lack of success. (Editor/RK)

The paper describes the emergence of the variety of modified approaches toward the assessment of cognitive skills. A change in emphasis away from norm-referenced assessment toward criterion-referenced assessment is noted. For such approaches as emphasis on the process rather than the product, intense detailed behavioral observations, and…

Twenty-one criterion-referenced tests are cited, and for each the following information is provided: description, format and administration, response mode and scoring, technical information, and references. The tests cited are the result of an attempt made to bring together tests designated in the Educational Testing Service Test Collection, a…

Classical test theory has been rejected for application to criterion-referenced (CR) tests by most psychometricians due to an expected lack of variance in scores and other difficulties. The present study was conceived to resolve the variance problem and explore the possibility that classical test theory is both appropriate and desirable for some…

One of the big problems in migrant education is the need to determine quickly the educational level of the student so that his learning progress can continue as he moves from one school to another. Normative-referenced tests provide little help for the teacher. The author describes a new type of test (the criterion-referenced test), soon to be…