An evaluation of a bilingual education program for first and second-grade children in an urban public school suggested that teaching them in their native language will cause higher achievement than expected and that classification of Spanish-speaking pupils based on standardized tests (in English) is invalid. (EH)

Describes how to construct reading comprehension test questions that are unanswerable without careful reading of an accompanying passage and provides examples of the principles explained. (RB)

Presents rationale to reject claims that intelligence tests validly measure intellectual ability and predict school achievement. (DW)

In this discussion on differences between white and black students in academic achievement, it is pointed out that apparent differences in scholastic ability may actually be differences in ways of thinking and relating to schooling which arise more from cultural background than from innate cognitive ability. It is suggested that disparities that…

The association of anxiety and medical students' performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part I Examination was investigated. The Debilitating Anxiety Scale was completed by 62 second-year medical students before taking the NBME Examination. Debilitating test anxiety has been described as anxiety that interferes with test…

In December of 1987, the American Association for Higher Education Assessment Forum convened a group of 25 assessment experts to examine the role of standardized tests in assessment. Some of the issues addressed are as follows: what makes standardized testing a particular concern in assessment; what the issues are; how campus assessment leaders…

Student performances on the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) were compared in large school districts. Focus was on determining whether college-bound graduates in different school districts score equally well on college entrance examinations and how college entrance examination scores for students compare across…

This study was designed to provide empirical support for viewing personality development from a cognitive framework. With controls established for IQ and socioeconomic status, 75 children between 6 and 15 years old were classified by level of cognitive functioning according to Piaget's system. (CS)

Considered pupils about to be admitted to secondary school and compared SCE examination results of pupils in 'selective' and 'comprehensive education'. (Author/RK)

Discussed is the standardization process and presented are the norms for deaf children (6-17 years old) on the performance subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R). Findings of the standardization study (involving 1,228 deaf Ss) are said to include the greatest deaf-hearing discrepancy on the Coding and Picture…

Article investigated the effectiveness of a procedure designed to accurately reflect a student's reading level. (Editor/RK)

The purpose of this handbook is to acquaint principals and teachers with the California Achievement Tests, mandated by the Maryland State Department of Education. Reports of the test results are also discussed. The first chapter describes the test and provides examples of question formats. A table of the objectives measured is also included. The…

The study involving 614 hearing impaired students investigated the adequacy of time limits currently followed in the administration of two subtests of the Differential Aptitude Test battery when used with young deaf students. Thirty-six students who did not complete the Space Relations portion of the battery under the timed condition, and 11 who…

Intended for school psychologists, the paper discusses current approaches to instrumentation in the standardized psychological schools. A framework is presented for the classification of assessment instruments, and examples of some currently employed instruments are provided along with a comparative analysis. Problems identified with existing…

This paper discusses the quality of tests with respect to their different uses. Standardized tests are defined as standardized procedures for eliciting responses from individuals, and these form the basis for some sort of appraisal. They can include intelligence tests, achievement tests, school readiness tests, and self concept measures. Oscar…