Arguments in support of standardized testing are critically analyzed. Usual criticisms of such tests are summarized as relatively unimportant. However, two basic criticisms are offered: the competitive nature of scoring standardized tests and their lack of content validity. The test-makers contention that tests are neutral and simply need to be…

Each of the four Cultural Attitude Scales (CAS) contains fifteen graphic illustrations of the dress, sports, food and popular symbols for the Anglo American, Black American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican cultures, respectively. Designed to measure ethnic identity or cross-cultural awareness for grades one to six, they do not require reading…

The validity of prediction equations based on American College Testing (ACT) Program test scores and high school grades is investigated. Presented are separate results for prediction equations based on ACT scores only, on high school grades only, and on both kinds of prediction jointly. Also included is a discussion of the relationship between…

The Mann-Suiter Developmental Screening Tests were administered individually to 79 German and American first grade students in their native languages. The subtests, which examined minimum skills necessary for school success, were used to develop a profile of each child's strengths and weaknesses in visual, auditory, and language areas. Children…

The percentage of universities using student ratings to evaluate teacher performance is steadily increasing, but this method can be abused if it is the sole criterion of evaluation. Recent surveys of faculty attitudes towards teaching evaluation indicate that most faculty members are in favor of systematic evaluation, prefer student ratings to…

The Melbourne Music Evaluation Kit (MEK) was designed to aid teachers of first-year secondary-school music classes to select appropriate curriculum materials related to the music backgrounds of class members, as indicated by scores on the kit. Tests included in the kit are criterion- referenced and are used as a diagnostic tool to measure…

The possibility that certain features of items on a reading comprehension test may lead to biased estimates of the reading achievement of particular subgroups of students was investigated. Item response data on the reading comprehension section of a frequently used achievement test were obtained from the Anchor Test Study data files. Eight…

OBJECTIVE INTERESTS AND MOTIVATION MEASURES WERE STUDIED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A SUITABLE METHOD FOR PREDICTING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. IT WAS FIRST NECESSARY TO DETERMINE THE STRUCTURE OF INTERESTS IN CHILDREN AND TO INCORPORATE THESE FACTORS INTO A TOTAL MEASUREMENT BATTERY. THE INTEREST MEASURES WERE THEN COMBINED WITH MEASURES OF ABILITY AND…

This report is the Proceedings of the third conference of its type. Included are 23 of the 25 papers presented at the conference, discussion of these papers by invited discussants, and symposium papers by a group of leaders in adaptive testing and latent trait test theory research and applications. The papers are organized into the following…

The Rasch Model was used to define the word analysis skill variable and to develop, field test, and calibrate a corresponding test for grades 2-12: the Emory Word Analysis Skill Inventory (EWASI). Word analysis objectives focusing on content and hierarchical levels of difficulty were identified and field tested with 78 students, grades 2-12,…

The relationship between student reported achievements (SRA) and student ratings of their corresponding course and teacher was investigated, from responses to the Instructor and Course Evaluation Questionnaire. The SRA consisted of 10 commonly accepted concepts of cognitive and individual development; their average was used as a measure of…

Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET), a six-scale questionnaire, yielded an overall teaching effectiveness score for 53 teachers, rated by 1,128 Anglo, black, and Chicano students in their sixth grade social studies classes in 1974-75; and for 42 teachers (33 of them the same) in 1975-76 reading classes. SET correlated substantially with analogous…

A test development plan is described to evaluate police enrolled in the law enforcement basic training course developed by California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Some general test methodologies are discussed: performance tests, knowledge tests, and situational tests, including role playing simulations and…

Since 1906, hundreds of thousands of Alberta, Canada secondary school students have taken some form of provincially set and scored examinations. The grade levels of students required to write such examinations have changed several times, and tests have involved formats which included various combinations of essay, short answer, matching, and…

Research on the comparative utility of varying numbers of rating statements per set--using an external criterion of recognition of rater profiles for evaluating "goodness" of the sets--was conducted on 132 noncommissioned Air Force officers. Groups of subjects rated groups of their peers on 20 factors, on a subset of 10 factors, and on a…