Rather than establish a national test, we should examine what other industrialized nations require of their children. Persistence and creativity are not easily tested, and results are bound to be oversimplified. Developing basic American education standards is appropriate only if every public school is equipped with adequate resources. (MLH)

Under certain conditions it may be possible to determine the difficulty of previously untested test items. Although no recipe can be provided, reflections on this topic are presented, drawing on concepts of item banking. A functional constructive method is suggested as having the most potential. (SLD)

Notes that while a number of viewpoints about adult literacy assessment exist, no one perspective dominates the field. Argues that both standardized tests and competency-based assessment poorly serve the adult learner. Argues that assessment of the adult learner can be conducted on an informal, nonthreatening basis. (RS)

The contribution of item response theory to the validity of interpretations of achievement test results is reviewed in the context of four applications. The applications include construction of scales for achievement tests, test construction, development of customized tests, and investigation of the influence of instruction on achievement tests.…

Maintains that the social studies curriculum is appropriate for teaching thinking skills but that the subject is taught to enhance student performance on state-mandated tests. Traces historically the introduction of thinking skills into the curriculum. Examines the conflict over teaching thinking skills; namely the content versus process dispute.…

Defines grade level as an age grouping that yields an achievement distribution approximating a normal curve, with the distribution average at grade level in a typical school. With an average teacher, an average child gains a year. Educators must accept this normal range of reading achievement and adjust instruction to it. Includes eight…

Examines the effects of corporate mergers in the publishing industry on the publishing of textbooks and standardized tests. Concludes that restructuring, acquisitions, and mergers have an intrusive effect on established practices of academic publishing and may severely limit the access of scholars to the academic marketplace. (FMW)

Standardized tests which measure a narrow span of intelligence unfairly penalize students whose strengths don't fall within that range. Three kinds of intelligence (analytical, creative, practical) are discussed. Sternberg's Triarchic Abilities Test, currently being test-piloted, assesses all three aspects of intelligence in contrast to current…

Relationships among the two new and the existing writing tests in the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJ) and other commonly-used writing tests were investigated with a sample of 44 fifth-graders. Results supported concurrent and construct validity of the WJ tests. The multiple samples writing approach is recommended as an alternative…

A study of characteristics of four classes entering the New England College of Optometry at five-year intervals were analyzed for a relationship between gender, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and attrition. No interaction with gender was found, but lower SAT scores were found to be associated with higher attrition levels. (Author/MSE)

The meanings of reliability and validity as they apply to standardized measures are used as a framework for applying the concepts of reliability and validity to authentic assessments. This article sees reliability as scorability and stability, whereas validity is seen as students' ability to use knowledge authentically in the field. (DB)

Argues that teachers need to become "informed consumers" of standardized tests in order to influence decisions about test use and about ways to help students perform at their best. Six strategies for considering the content of a test form are presented. (LR)

Reliabilities and information functions for percentile ranks and number-right scores were compared using item response theory, modeling standardized achievement tests. Results demonstrate that situations exist in which the percentage of items known by examinees can be accurately estimated, but the percentage of persons falling below a given score…

Analyzes the performance of male and female high school students (n=43,000) on the Australian National Chemistry Quiz in 1991. Results showed that on many questions boys outperformed girls. Reasons why boys and girls might differ in the rates of solving some of the questions are discussed, and directions for identifying the nature, extent, and…

Disabled and nondisabled fifth graders completed a standardized achievement test under timed and untimed conditions to examine the effect of speededness on test performance. Results indicated no difference in test speededness for the two groups nor showed that the groups were differentially affected when the amount of speededness was reduced. (SM)