The consumer of educational tests is not being protected and reforms are badly needed. (JH)

Using a text semantic framework, a two-year study examined the process by which readers construct meanings from standardized reading comprehension tests used as texts. The text analytic system described "ideal reader" interpretations of texts, allowing comparisons with real reader interpretations. Specific analyses described the ideal…

Stanford Achievement Tests (Science) were examined to point out limitations of standardized achievement tests. Several factors teachers need to consider when using standardized tests were identified. Tests can be effective only if they measure the same content areas that make up the science curriculum. Good reading comprehension is needed for…

Today, in this country, there is widespread public support for educational testing, evidenced by the large amount of state minimum competency testing legislation, and recent public opinion surveys. Despite a basically favorable view of standardized testing, parents are concerned about the effects of test anxiety and poor test-taking skills on…

The authors consider the special education research studies conducted for the Special Education Department of the Dallas Independent School District. The Dallas evaluation model utilized a modification of the CIPP model which delineated four kinds of evaluation information: context (which describes the state of the world before intervention),…

The attitude of students toward taking achievement tests, as well as the relationship between this attitude and student performance on achievement tests, was studied in three southern Illinois schools. Students in grades six through nine were administered the 1973 Stanford Achievement Tests, followed by an attitudinal test developed for the study…

Intended for parents, this guide discusses the effects of standardized tests on children, using test items from recent standardized reading tests which have been administered to children aged 7 to 13 and children's responses to these items. For each item, comments are made about the ambiguity of the item; the various interpretations that can be…

IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF PERFORMANCE OF RETARDED ADOLESCENTS ON THE HARRIS REVISION OF THE GOODENOUGH DRAW-A-MAN TEST (DAM) AND WHETHER THE DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE WHICH OCCURS IN NORMAL ADOLESCENTS AT THE MID-TEENS ALSO OCCURS WITH RETARDED ADOLESCENTS, 213 MALE AND 130 FEMALE SUBJECTS, AGED 11-20 YEARS AND WITH IQ'S OF 56-72, IN…

THE INSTITUTE'S TEST BATTERY IS INTENDED TO ASSESS THE CHILD'S ACHIEVEMENT IN COGNITIVE STYLE, PERCEPTUAL ABILITY, LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, AND READING ACHIEVEMENT. THE TWO MAJOR PHASES IN THE INSTITUTE'S RESEARCH PROGRAM ARE EXPLORATION OF EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL REMEDIAL, READING, AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS. THE INDEX…

Three concurrent validity studies were conducted to determine the relationship between performances on formative measures of reading and standardized achievement measures of reading. Correlational analyses for five formative measures and three standardized measures provided evidence for the validity of Words in Isolation, Words in Context, and…

The four sections of this guide provide information for use by educators who wish to find means other than standardized tests for assessing the reading performance of students. The first section of the guide deals with two methods of determining the readability of classroom materials, the Fry Readability Graph and the cloze procedure. The second…

Students in the eleventh grade in three Montgomery County, Maryland high schools were the subjects of a study to determine the effect of foreign language study on performance on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The following results were reported: (1) when verbal ability is controlled, students who study foreign language…

A statement of the major issues surrounding the use of standardized tests in schools is provided, covering the following areas of concern: (1) the major types of standardized tests and how they differ from teacher-made tests; (2) the role of standardized tests in education; (3) administering/scoring standardized tests; (4) interpretation of…

The purpose of this guide is to provide a short, ready source of information about the process and problems of the diagnostic assessment of preschool children. Formal test instruments frequently used in the assessment process are listed by category. Detailed discussions of the tests and useful information the classroom teacher can gain from the…

A study was conducted at Queensborough Community College to determine if instruction in taking tests would significantly improve the responses of non-proficient readers to multiple-choice, open-ended, and cloze-type questions. Students enrolled in 18 reading and study skills improvement classes (N=394) were divided into three main groups: the…