The continuing interest in standardized testing alternatives suggests that the make-a-better-mousetrap mentality still flourishes in education and employment assessment circles. Some promising new testing technologies might broaden the range of human talents assessed. However, educators must refuse to accept bondage to any single technology, no…

Educators' confusion over uses of standardized tests is akin to mistaking pulse rate for the total effect of a health regimen. Using authentic standards and tests to judge intellectual ability is labor-intensive and time-consuming. What students need is a test with more sophisticated criteria for judging performance. Includes 37 references. (MLH)

All educators must possess knowledge of student assessment practices. This article outlines basic testing concepts and test construction and usage skills for teachers and administrators. Includes nine references. (MLH)

A control-group, quasi-experimental study measured the effects of the Paideia Program on secondary students' critical thinking skills as measured on the Cornell Critical Thinking test. Findings reveal how shallow the knowledge base undergirding critical thinking is. (JOW)

A new breed of standardized reading tests, slated for use in Michigan and Illinois, measures integrative thinking instead of isolated skills and gives teachers a valuable diagnostic tool. A breakdown of content areas is given, as well as a preview of actual questions. (IAH)

Discusses the problem of state and local annual achievement testing of children whose parents choose to teach them at home. Discusses test security and administration. Suggests that parents need clear guidelines on state and local testing requirements. (NH)

Refutes Leslie MacLean and Harvey Goldstein's charges (in the January 1988 "Kappan") that the National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Proficiency Scale is based on a single assumption (reading proficiency) accounting for responses to all reading tasks. Characterizes the scale as developmental, with points corresponding to…

The Policy and the Higher Literacies project reviewed state and local "thoughtfulness" mandates, interviewed appropriate administrators, and visited schools and classrooms boasting higher literacy activities. While most interviewees believed in commercial test validity, those engaged in higher literacy activities largely ignored such…

Florida's testing program appears to be counterproductive to increasing the number of minority teachers. The high school diploma test, the ACT/SAT, university and teacher education admission score requirements, the "rising junior" test, and teacher certification and examination represent serious obstacles to minority students who want to teach.…

Discusses factors which lead to the overuse of and overreliance on standardized tests in the United States. (MM)

Reviews "Written Language Assessment" (WLA), a new standardized test to evaluate children's and adolescents' written language competence by having students write essays instead of answer multiple choice questions. Finds problems with the WLA in terms of interrater reliability. (RS)

Results of a study of Egyptian (N=44) English-as-a-Second-Language students trying to qualify for professional training programs in the United States found evidence of the importance of background knowledge in reading comprehension. Results suggest the importance of content schemata in developing reading skills. (Author/VWL)

The development of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is described based on data from a case study of a reading test. The theory of genre proposed by Kress is also discussed, along with the need for the TOEFL-2000 test development team at the Educational Testing Service to address the washback effect of the test. (Author/LB)

Argues that student who invested 12 years working hard, studying, and obeying teachers deserves diploma even though diploma's value may be suspect. In some states, like Alabama, value of 12-year investment can be reduced to zero by single multiple-choice test score. Schools must treat all students fairly by considering multiple intelligences and…

The "high stakes" environment surrounding student performance on standardized achievement tests has pressured educators to improve test scores--in both appropriate and inappropriate ways. Convened to examine such testing practices, a National Council on Measurement in Education developed guidelines for managing ethical, instructional,…