Describes common mistakes made by young children taking standardized tests and suggests several teaching strategies that may be useful to teachers who are preparing a class to take standardized tests. Teachers need to be sure they don't add to the pressure of standardized testing by overreacting to small deeds of misbehavior or emphasizing the…

Considers ways to implement the International Guidelines for Test Use (International Test Commission, 2001) to maximize their intended impact . The process calls for customizing the guidelines for specific assessment contexts and needs and using the guidelines to generate competency standards. (SLD)

The article considers issues of objectivity in regard to evaluating a child's performance on a test. Quantum theory is invoked to illustrate the close relationship of the child's "score" to the specific conditions of the evaluation experience. Educators are encouraged to remember that the score cannot be isolated from the testing experience. (DB)

Presents a facetious, ingenious resolution to the percentile dilemma concerning above- and below-average test scores. If schools enrolled the same number of pigs as students and tested both groups, the pigs would fill up the bottom half and all children would rank in the top 50 percent. However, some wrinkles need to be ironed out! (MLH)

Though curriculum-based assessment (CBA) is considered a valuable evaluation procedure, areas of concern exist, including: assumptions regarding content of the CBA instrument, appropriateness of CBA as the only information source for individualized education programs, and recognition of CBA's limitations as a procedure/model under the current…

Examined ability of Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJPEB) to identify learning-disabled (LD) students. Administered WJPEB to 71 previously identified LD students and evaluated cluster score performance. Used three methods of obtaining discrepancies; slightly more than one-half of LD students were identified. Memory deficits were…

The effect of violating the assumption of nonspeededness on ability and item parameter estimates in item response theory was studied through simulation under three speededness conditions. Results indicate that ability estimation was least affected by speededness but that substantial effects on item parameter estimates were found. (SLD)

Examined Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) profiles of incarcerated pedophiles in state prisons (n=60), federal prisons (n=24), and military confinement facilities (n=25), each offering different educational and social composition. Multivariate statistics revealed that three groups' profiles were significantly different,…

Asserts that the most powerful assessment occurs in the classroom. Argues that assessment instruments must be used in a social context and for a social purpose. States that it is unfortunate that the critical and reflective aspects of responsible assessment are the most vulnerable in a context of high profile accountability testing. (PRA)

The notion of washback, that testing influences teaching, is explored and a series of possible hypotheses are advanced. The empirical research in general education and in language education is reviewed to determine whether washback actually exists, how it can be measured, and what accounts for its form. Proposals for future research are suggested.…

According to 422 responses from 840 adult basic education teachers, (1) they perceive formal testing effective in fulfilling planned functions; (2) its chief problems are students' affective responses and discrimination against special learning needs; and (3) teacher background variables were not related to responses, that is, advanced education…

Results of a study correlating work behaviors, performance appraisals and results of civil service promotion examinations suggest that exam scores are not sufficient and should not be the sole determinant of promotions. Work behaviors and job performance are time consuming to assess but should also be considered as civil service promotion…

The International Test Commission formed a 13-person committee of psychologists representing a number of international organizations to prepare a set of guidelines for adapting educational and psychological tests. The committee has worked for 3 years to produce near final drafts of 22 guidelines organized into 4 categories: (1) context; (2)…

Results support the predicted relationship between achievement anxiety reaction type and academic performance but only partially support the inverted-U hypothesis posited to account for this relationship. (RB)

Court cases are presented that illustrate some of the issues that courts have dealt with in the area of educational testing. While this study was developed primarily for parents, the booklet should also help school administrators and testing professionals learn about court cases and precedents relevant to some major issues in educational testing.…