A new approach to assessing unexpected differential item performance (item bias or item fairness) was developed and applied to the item responses of males and females to Scholastic Aptitude Test and Test of Standard Written English items administered operationally in December 1977. While the main body of the report describes the particulars of the…

This paper describes and evaluates a comprehensive school and instructional management system developed and implemented in one of the nation's largest and fastest growing school districts. Since implementing the system, standardized achievement scores have increased an average 20 percentile points. The system has components to: (1) clearly set…

The Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS) was developed in order to examine the extent to which Title I (now Chapter 1) is remediating the disadvantages in basic skills of educationally deprived children. TIERS Model A contrasts the achievement of Chapter 1 students to publishers' norms for hypothetically comparable groups of students.…

The object of this study was to find out whether learning process and reading variables predict first-year grade point average (GPA) in college. The learning process variables were: (1) deep learning; (2) surface learning; and (3) achievement orientation. Reading variables dealt with factual and inferential knowledge. Also examined was whether…

The sixth annual "State Education Performance Chart" compares the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 39 variables arranged in 4 major groups. The groups are: student performance; resource inputs; state reforms; and population characteristics. Examples of the variables are: ACT scores; SAT scores; graduation rate; average…

The sixth annual "State Education Performance Chart, Supplement" compares the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 variables arranged in 2 groups: student performance and resource inputs. The variables are a subset of those used by the main chart. Comparisons are made between 1988 and 1987 data for most variables, or between…

This press release documents the remarks made by Lauro F. Cavazos (U.S. Secretary of Education) at a press conference publicizing the 1989 edition of the "State Education Performance Chart." This chart provides comparative data for the years 1982 and 1988. It is reported that in 1988, the performance of U.S. students was stagnant.…

The use of item banks and item response theory has resulted in new ways to misinterpret and misuse tests through customized, yet standardized, achievement test batteries. The new test batteries create the possibility of serious misunderstandings based on the idea that any subset of items from the pool with a proper range of difficulties will…

This paper presents future interactions between curriculum and test content, particularly standardized achievement test content. Three topics are discussed in question-answer form. (1) Will standardized testing dictate the curriculum in the future? An analysis of major curriculum change indicates two changes in the past 25 years: a revolution…

Recent test results reveal that the test score decline has ended, but the legacy of this highly publicized educational episode continues. One widespread interpretation of the decline and recovery is that permissiveness and a collapse of standards in the late 1960s led to the decline and that a return to the basics and to tougher standards caused…

A study was conducted to provide insight into the consistency of reading achievement scores from four standardized tests. Several sets of data were compared to assess the accuracy of grade equivalents or instructional reading levels obtained on standardized tests. Each test was randomly assigned for administration to 23 third graders in a group…

The commonly-occurring mismatch between second language student and course level, resulting in student boredom or intimidation, is due to overreliance on standardized language tests. These tests emphasize passive skills, such as recognition of grammatical structures and translation, and they ignore the element of communicative competence. As a…

A study was conducted to analyze the relationship between the first-semester grade point average (GPA) of nursing students at Vermont College and their scores on the Nursing State Board Examination. The study sought to determine whether a GPA of 1.75 (which is currently required for progression in the nursing program beyond the first semester)…

The three-parameter logistic model discussed was used by CTB/McGraw-Hill in the development of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U (CTBS/U) and the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS), published in the fall of 1981. The development, standardization, and scoring of the tests are described, particularly as these procedures were influenced by…

Using a statewide sample of Louisiana's prospective teachers' results on the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) (N=5,642), the investigation probed the relationships between NTE composite scores, Weighted Common Examination Total (WCET) scores, and WCET subscores with selected predictor variables (overall grade point average (GPA); GPA in…