The concept of overlap between instruction and assessment is defined. The influence of tests on teaching and the teacher as curricular content decision maker is described. A model of how awareness of this overlap can move curriculum practice into alignment with an assessment system is presented. (Author/MT)

Curriculum policies, testing programs, and language arts textbooks have hampered the teaching of writing, but circumstances are changing. An 11-item reference list is included. (Author/DCS)

Describes study to determine effect on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of coaching with a microcomputer software program, Computer SAT. Results indicate mathematics scores are improved by computer coaching with no difference between effectiveness of individual or small group computer use, and verbal scores are improved by small group use.…

The article reviews Consumer's Guide to Tests in Print, noting its purposes (to provide objective information about technical characteristics of standardized tests); criteria for evaluating standardizaton, reliability, and validity; and its rating system based on evaluations of selected review panel members. (CL)

The increase in large-scale standardized testing in the nation's schools is one major result of demands for accountability. Such testing also impacts many aspects of school and family life and culture. For some, certain unintended impacts may be like side effects of medicines that need to be tolerated; for others they raise larger questions about…

The ever-increasing reliance on student performance on tests as a way of holding schools and educators accountable is discussed. Comparisons are made between state accountability requirements and the accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The resulting mixed messages being given by the two systems are…

This study focused on the link between different forms of instruction and learning in Chicago, Illinois, elementary schools. It used teachers' survey reports about their instruction in the 1997-1997 school year and linked these reports with achievement gains. The study tested the common assumption that the nature of standardized assessments…

A variety of testing methods can be extremely useful in finding out whether children who are experiencing learning difficulties may have one or more learning disabilities. This is an important and valuable role for testing. Another important issue concerns how best to ensure fairness for a learning disabled student when he or she must take a…

This fastback provides information about what tests can and cannot do, how they are constructed, and how they are used and misused. It offers suggestions about how best to interpret test results. The chapters are: (1) "A Test on Testing"; (2) "Basic Considerations"; (3) "Standardized Tests"; (4) "Performance Tests"; (5) "Interpreting Test Scores";…

This guide shows how to integrate assessment with teaching and learning to reach educational goals. The aim is to present assessment concepts in a concise manner that can be understood and applied by teachers, administrators, and other school personnel. The chapters, organized around major assessment topics, are: (1) "Integrating Assessment with…

The marked increases in standardized achievement testing have raised concerns of the educational community regarding the value of standardized testing programs and their potentially harmful effect on students. This study incorporated student perceptions and their views of standardized testing and combined this information with their performance on…

This study explores mathematics performance between boys and girls in terms of attitude toward mathematics and the average standardized scores in reading and mathematics between the 30th and 85th percentiles. Participants were 7th grade students from a private school in an urban area who registered in a course intended for students of average…

In the reporting of individual student results from standardized tests in educational assessments, the percentile rank of the individual student is a major numerical indicator. For example, in the 1998 and 1999 California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program using the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Ninth Edition, Form T (Stanford…

The term "technology" often conjures up visions of scientific experiments and industrial processes, but technology is also a tool, something put together to satisfy a need, solve a problem, or attain a goal in social, economic, and educational institutions. In a broader sense, technology is any body of special knowledge, skills, and procedures,…

The report discusses students' general educational skills development and outcomes assessment at College of DuPage (COD)(Illinois). Since one goal of general education assessment was to provide a comparison to other institutions, selection from among three national standardized tests of general skills was undertaken rather than the development of…