Comparison of three learning indicators college grade-point average (GPA), student-reported growth, and Graduate Record Examination scores found: (1) student-reported cognitive growth survey items have a modest relative validity; (2) the attenuation associated with use of residual gain scores does not invalidate their use; and (3) GPA and…

A seventh-grader explains why the Virginia Standards of Learning tests unfairly pressure her and her teachers. She wants her free reading time restored and wishes politicians would worry more about students understanding--not just memorizing--facts. She praises teachers who go beyond the SOL. (MLH)

When the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) was unveiled in 1991, schools faced a public supportive of change but unhappy with the tests' implications--measurement of school, not student performance. Teachers helped design a nationally normed test to complement MSPAP. The process involved listening, communication, and…

Changing to a trimester 3 X 5 schedule at Westfield (Indiana) High School made time for more focused academic activity, individual learning opportunities, and teacher development activities. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators find the schedule highly effective; academic achievement, attendance, and graduation rates have improved. (MLH)

Utilizes principal-component regression analysis to examine the relative contributions of 11 ranking criteria used to construct a periodical's tier rankings of national universities. Although "U.S. News & World Report" assigns the greatest weight to academic reputation, enrolled students' average SAT scores constitute the most…

This qualitative study examined experiences of teachers, parents, and administrators related to standardized kindergarten entrance assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses of standardized testing in kindergarten. Strengths emerging from the data included consistency of information with core curriculum, and the time and opportunity to begin…

This study examined the accuracy of teacher (N=51) assessments in screening for reading disabilities among Grade 1 students of English as a second language (N=249) and as a first language (N=120). Results indicated that teacher rating scales and nominations had low sensitivity in identifying reading disability in either group as determined by a…

Investigates the use of a multi-step Test Item Post-Conference (TIPC) procedure with 30 English-as-a-second-language students. Notes that the procedure results in an "adjustment" of standardized multiple choice tests scores. Finds the procedure proved relatively efficient and the results were well-received by the participating ESL teachers.…

This brief article describes the development and content of a braille adaptation of the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability. Differences in the braille form of the test and precautions in its use are noted. (DB)

This article summarizes results from tests that have allowed examinee choice of test items. It paints a bleak psychometric picture for the use of examinee choice within fair tests. Choice is anathema to standardized testing unless the aspects that characterize the test are irrelevant to what is being tested. (SLD)

A general approach to the identification of individuals mismeasured by a standardized psychological test is reviewed. The method, originated by M. V. Levine and F. Drasgow (1988), has the advantage of statistical optimality. Use of optimal methods requires a psychometric model for normal responding and one for aberrant responding. (SLD)

Concerned about inappropriate uses of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, the Leander Independent School District developed a Total Quality application to guide instruction for individual students. Focusing on learning instead of testing, the new system consists of comprehensive language arts and mathematics assessments completed by students…

Strategy use and its impact on standardized reading test performance were studied with 128 high school students. Students in a standardized test condition used more strategies than those asked merely to identify main ideas. Thinking aloud had detrimental effects on ability to identify main ideas. (SLD)

Offers four approaches, based on food metaphors, that writing teachers can use to prepare students for the writing items on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Assessment Test II Writing Subject Test. The pros and cons of each method are discussed, and examples from the author's classroom experience are offered. (MSE)

Argues that state mandated tests should emphasize critical thinking, thus mitigating the concern that such tests encourage instructional focus on rote factual learning. Conceptualizing critical thinking as argumentation provides a way to focus instruction and assessment on types of critical thinking valued in the workplace. Illustrates how this…