Slight rises in average scores on mathematics and verbal sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test are seen as a reason for cautious optimism about educational reform. Gaps between men and women, whites and African Americans still exist. Better college preparation is cited as responsible for score gains. (MSE)

Discusses state-mandated assessment at the university level, as experienced in one department of communication. Offers five recommendations to ensure integrity in a politically motivated process. (SR)

Just as testing generally is not the answer to the multifaceted problems facing contemporary American education, performance assessment is no panacea. Before embracing this new evaluation method, educators should assess the movement's claims, costs, and characteristics. At present, both goals and costs are uncertain. (30 references) (MLH)

Two studies were conducted to determine the stability of self-assessment of evaluation performance and use by 276 evaluators of community mental health centers over a 6-week period. The test-retest reliability of two instruments developed to assess internal evaluation was examined. The value of these instruments is discussed. (SLD)

Large scale studies of the psychometric characteristics of standardized-patient clinical examinations are reviewed, and recommendations for test improvement are offered, including (1) assessment of history taking, physical examination, and communication skills separately from diagnostic and management skills; (2) a mastery-testing framework for…

A review (HE 528 450) of large-scale studies of the psychometric characteristics of standardized-patient clinical examinations is commended for its clarity, thoroughness, and relevance. Issues of reliability, validity, scoring, reporting, and use of the tests are discussed further. (MSE)

This article discusses the relation between instruction prescribed by standardized commercial curricula and reading achievement of mainstreamed students with learning disabilities. An instructional template for use with these curricula is described and its results examined. Limitations of generic instructional procedures adapting mainstream…

Evaluators in six objective structured clinical examinations were encouraged to add written comments to the traditional checklist rating forms. The 1,283 comments were categorized as trainee performance (technique, content, summary) and organizational comments. Analysis found that the comments were relevant and useful, and provided substantial…

Described aspects of administering the U.S. Test of Economic Literacy in the United Kingdom in May 1989. Established norms for various subgroups of the British school population. Found that the main group differences were between those students who had economics training and those who did not. (DB)

Substantial drops in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores coincide with an increasingly diverse group of students, including more minority group members, taking the exam. The gap between bright and average students' scores has also widened. The trend is seen as evidence that recommended educational reforms are not being adopted. (MSE)

A study investigated the performance of 6 successive medical school classes on 80 standardized-patient case examinations, looking for effects of student or standardized-patient gender on scores. Results showed no interaction of any practical consequence. Cases with gender-related concern (e.g., breast problems) also did not differentiate between…

A study investigated whether the more efficiently graded extended-matching questions were equivalent to short-answer questions in evaluating medical students' (n=98) ability to elicit physical findings and generate diagnoses and treatment plans, using standardized-patient examinations. The differences found in the two question types did not favor…

Reports that a meta-analysis of the effects of sentence-combining on reading comprehension (which compared the mean effect sizes with zero) affirmed the congeniality of sentence-combining with cloze tests but not with standardized tests. (NH)

The enrollment growth of Japanese language courses in U.S. K-12 classrooms has resulted in a strain on delivery systems due limited teacher training programs, materials, and standardized tests. A new Johns Hopkins/College Board project to develop a national curricular framework is described. (LB)

Discusses fairness in student evaluation, focusing on art criticism as a metaphor in which the evaluator transforms into something akin to an art critic. The article explains what the art criticism approach looks like in the classroom and describes the process of art criticism (description, analysis, interpretation, judgment). )SM)