This transcript of a National Radio Broadcast records a discussion of various issues regarding minimum competence in schools. Presenting and analyzing these issues are a number of noted individuals in education (Kenneth Clark, Graham Down, Albert Shanker), critics, school administrators, writers and a psychologist. Areas addressed include:…

Organized as a question-and-answer booklet, this parents' guide explains scores on standardized reading achievement tests. Examples illustrate the meaning of certain grade equivalent scores. The grade equivalent method is described as a poor way to report scores; raw scores, percentiles, and stanine ranges are discussed as alternatives. The…

Educators are more interested in instruction and learning than in testing per se. If evaluation, the process of gathering information for instructional improvement, could be accomplished without the quantitative, formal processes of measurement and testing, there would be no need for them. Unfortunately, informal processes are more inefficient,…

In this issue on admissions in colleges and universities, the history of the admissions process and trends are outlined, and the current situation of declining enrollments reviewed. The place of testing is discussed briefly, and other factors in selection listed: student background (educational, extracurricular, and ethnic), and student…

EVALUATION STEPS WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE CURRICULUM CONTINUITY DEMONSTRATION (CCD), A JOINT PROJECT OF THE PITTSBURGH SCHOOLS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH. THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WHICH CONSTITUTES A TRUE CONTINUUM FOR THE STUDENT AS HE PROGRESSES FROM KINDERGARTEN TO COLLEGE. INITIAL EVALUATION…

THIS IS A GUIDE DESIGNED AS A SINGLE REFERENCE FOR ADMINISTRATORS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND LAYMEN INTERESTED IN TELEVISION FOR A SPECIFIC SCHOOL OR SCHOOL SYSTEM. FOUR EXAMPLES OF SINGLE-ROOM TELEVISION ARE GIVEN AND SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS OF STUDIO TELEVISION ARE PRESENTED. ITS USE IN GUIDANCE AND IN ADMINISTRATION IS EXPLAINED. THE PROBLEMS…

FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE TESTING OF MINORITY GROUP CHILDREN ARE PRESENTED. THE CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS OF MENTAL TESTING ARE TOO OFTEN DEVELOPED FOR THE INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL WAYS OF MIDDLE-CLASS CHILDREN. AS A RESULT MINORITY GROUP CHILDREN ARE EXCLUDED FROM OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAINING BECAUSE OF "CULTURAL DEPRIVATION." THE GUIDE…

This statement presents the position of and addresses the needs of the professional members of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) divisions and regions. The seven sections discuss: (1) the development of the statement; (2) guidelines for avoiding charges of irresponsible practice; (3) qualifications of test users (those who…

This report describes a study undertaken to refine the guidelines of the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development and to suggest general procedures for implementing any skill-centered approach to teaching reading. The first part of the report sets forth the purpose and focus of the study, with a literature review to define the nature of…

For the most part, standardized tests are verbal and presuppose that the test takers know the language, culture, and values of the test makers, who usually represent white, middle class language and values. The communication problems that minority groups face when taking standardized tests include phonological biases (especially when the tests are…

Different viewpoints regarding educational testing are described. While some people advocate continuing reliance upon standardized tests, others favor the discontinuation of such achievement and intelligence tests. The author recommends a moderate view somewhere between these two extremes. Problems associated with standardized testing in the…

A wide range of standardized tests and measures, including the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the American College Testing Program, reveals a distinct pattern of student performance decline beginning in the mid 1960s and continuing into the present. It seems unlikely that this is primarily a result of bias or other inadequacies in the tests. Part of…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade four, organized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade five, organized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…

As part of an investigation of the appropriateness of the original Anchor Test Study equating results for black and Spanish-surnamed students, this Appendix lists the detailed results of the analyses for grade six, origanized by vocabulary, reading comprehension, and total reading scores. For each analysis, a two-page set of results is presented.…