Response changes on multiple-choice items tend to improve test scores of elementary school children. (Author/MJB)

To examine the reasons for declining Scholastic Aptitude Test scores during the past two decades, this paper proposes an empirical achievement model incorporating students' demographic characteristics and an expanding test-taking population. While test scores and participation rates are positively correlated, participation changes over time mask…

The question of why there is so much teacher discouragement and frustration when the profession is enjoying higher salaries and better working conditions is addressed. (MT)

Identifies general and specific skills for taking tests. Contends that students who use effective general test-taking skills improve their performance on standardized tests. (JDH)

Project Spectrum is a pilot project to fuse assessment and the curriculum of preschool and daycare programs. The article reviews standard assessment methods, describes alternative notions of intelligence, and examines the implementation of Project Spectrum in detail. (JL)

When the Stanford and CTBS achievement batteries were analyzed, two major findings emerged: (1) the test items included only nine of the 22 general cognitive operations; and (2) the required general cognitive operations had little to do with student achievement on these tests. Implications and alternative assessment techniques are discussed.…

Issues related to validity and bias in psychological tests in general and specifically to the Stanford Achievement Test--Special Edition for Hearing Impaired Students (SAT-HI) are discussed. Questions regarding content validity and the lack of criterion-related data on the SAT-HI are raised. (Author/DB)

Describes Duval County Public Schools' (Jacksonville, Florida) approach to addressing causes and symptoms of academic underachievement by Blacks and disadvantaged students. The project involved establishing a baseline testing program, observing symptoms, and treating underachievement problems by prescribing lifestyle changes and establishing a…

Explains achievement test scores, focusing on types, uses, meanings, and relative importance. Describes currently used scales, normal distribution curves, percentile ranks, grade equivalents, and other rating systems. Advises inclusion of more than one kind of standardized test score, since each provides different information. Includes three…

Reviews a dozen basic questions about passing scores on state-mandated competency testing programs for students, teachers, administrators, and other education personnel. Condemns the "cardiac" approach (or traditonal 80 percent standard) in favor of procedures that systematically incorporate judgment with a variety of performance data.…

Presents a musical play designed to orient students to standardized tests by promoting appropriate test-taking skills and attitudes. Suggests effective staging techniques. (ABB)

Discusses Russell's (1975) system for administering and scoring the Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale. Certain innovations such as obtaining a delayed recall appear to be useful, but comparisons with other studies indicate difficulty with the impairment ratings that were devised. (JAC)

The article reviews error analysis procedures for two subtests of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (reading recognition and reading comprehension). Suggestions are offered for composing and interpreting a pattern of errors on items from each subtest. (CL)

Learning Disabled children (N=198) were tested on both the WISC-R (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and K-ABC (Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children). Joint factor analysis produced three-factor and four-factor solutions. Factors corresponding to three K-ABC scales generally converged with three WISC-R factors. (Author/CL)