This paper summarizes well-reviewed research about teacher competence in the skills described in the "Standards for Teacher Competence in the Educational Assessment of Students." It also examines additional research studies from 1990 to the present. The standards emphasize: choosing and developing assessment methods appropriate for…

This essay reflects on the use of state-mandated achievement tests to evaluate what children have learned, drawing on the experiences of an elementary school teacher and the Connecticut Mastery Test. In this time of increased interest in testing, it is necessary to guard against rigidity of thought regarding intelligence, teaching and learning,…

As an action research project, a program was developed to improve test-taking skills to increase standardized test scores. The targeted population was high school juniors in a small Midwestern community in west central Illinois. The problem of low standardized test achievement was documented through data that revealed that students fell below the…

Most stakeholders in higher education are deeply interested in improving student learning outcomes, but there is disagreement about whether standardized testing programs will contribute to this goal. Plans for standardized testing of college students in public institutions appear to be on the rise. Eight to 10 states currently engage in…

This report examines teachers' educational background and students' overall performance on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R). Data analyses show that there are 17 Delaware classrooms performing above the average U.S. student score of 502. The majority of teachers in the top 10 higher performing classrooms had…

A program was designed, as an action research project, to increase the retention of information through the use of alternative methods of instruction. The targeted population consisted of primary and intermediate students in a community in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. There had been a decline in standardized test scores, the increasing pressure…

The advantages and disadvantages of state mandated and locally developed curricula are discussed. State mandates emphasize a measurement philosophy of education in which testing is the name of the game to determine how well students are achieving. One of the advantages of a state mandated curriculum is that the curriculum is aligned with the…

This document provides guidelines relative to the appropriate administration of and preparation for the State Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program norm-referenced tests in the San Diego City Schools. The STAR tests are norm-referenced tests, and this document is intended to assure that standardized conditions in testing mirror the…

For the last four decades, students' scores on standardized tests have increasingly been regarded as the most meaningful evidence for evaluating U.S. schools. Most Americans, indeed, believe students' standardized test performances are the only legitimate indicator of a school's instructional effectiveness. Yet, although test-based evaluations of…

The idea of differentiation was initiated by educators of and researchers for students who were classified as gifted and talented. Subsequently, this concept has become part of the general belief system that educators must meet and address the needs of every child, regardless of ability levels. Researchers have found that most teachers state that…

The results indicate the effectiveness of both individual desensitization and group desensitization in the treatment of high test anxiety. More research is needed in comparing the effectiveness of group desensitization and individual desensitization with intratreatment variables. (Author)

The analysis of grade point averages showed no significant differences among detailed, limited, or no knowledge or results groups. The test anxiety level was higher for the detailed knowledge group. It was concluded that the time factor between giving the results to subjects and the grade point average collection and administration of the test…

This paper provides a guide to the minimum size of treatment groups, inferred from the relationships between pupil norms and norms for class averages of standardized achievement tests. (Editor)

Presents individual student testing profiles to provide meaningful graphic presentations of standardized test results. (Author/RK)

Gives instructions on how to improve student test taking skills, suggesting that students may fare poorly on standardized reading comprehension tests because of inadequate test taking ability. (Author/RB)