This booklet is planned to help teachers, parents, students, and community members to understand concepts and research relating to testing in public schools. Three general uses--public access, accountability, and standards--relate to testing in its broadest conception. The major purposes of tests are discussed, as are some different types of…

The systematic investigation of children's development along cognitive, affective, and moral dimensions has illuminated the nature of maturation and the problems associated with this process. To study the relationship between child development and parent behavior, a method was designed for the systematic observation of parental behavior.…

An investigation of worry and emotionality as different components of test anxiety is presented through a longitudinal study of subjects in grades 6 and 9. The study aimed at describing and explaining the development of school-related anxiety, dissatisfaction and the perceived learning environment. By confirmatory factor analysis with boys and…

The theory and technology of item characteristic curve (ICC) response theory and adaptive testing were applied to judging individuals' competencies against a prespecified mastery level to determine whether each individual is a "master" or "nonmaster" of a specified content domain. Items from two conventionally administered mastery tests…

When criterion-referenced tests are used to assign examinees to states reflecting their performance level on a test, the better known methods for determining test length, which consider relationships among domain scores and errors of measurement, have their limitations. The purpose of this paper is to present a computer system named TESTLEN, which…

It is suggested that most standardized science tests do not adequately assess the majority of concepts taught as part of the very diversified middle school science curriculum. The 50-item Life Science Test constructed by Portland Public Schools, Maine, herein presented, aims to resolve this inadequacy. The 40-minute multiple choice test…

The distinguishing characteristics and relationships found among the "Analytical Reading Inventory," the "Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty," and the Spache "Diagnostic Reading Scales" in terms of readability levels, oral and silent reading results, and independent and instructional reading levels were examined in a study involving 117 first,…

The author suggests that the scoring criteria for the Draw-A-Woman Scale of the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test reflect outmoded images and attitudes of the female. The woman-as-sex-object image is called the "Barbee Doll Mentality." This suggestion was tested in a sample of eleven to thirteen-year old sixth graders. The children--44 boys…

A study was commissioned to develop and validate a test to assess the attitudes of Alberta (Canada) students toward the world of work. An instrument was needed to examine the following five areas of concern: (1) attitudes toward earning a living; (2) perceptions about employer expectations; (3) perceptions about available opportunities; (4)…

To determine the validity of the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts in predicting reading achievement as measured by the reading scores of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Boehm test was given to 55 kindergarten children and the Iowa test was given to 42 of the same children in second grade. The results indiciated that the Boehm test appeared to be of…

Guidelines for the use of observation instruments in pre-and in-service teachers of the handicapped are provided. It is explained that guidelines have been developed according to the following five principles: (1) the observation instrument must be relevant (including empirical, normative, and interpretative relevance); (2) methods of gathering…

A model for the measurement of reading skills was used as the basis for the development of the Decoding Skills Test. The model emphasizes that decoding skills are based on one of two processes: word recognition through phonic/linguistic decoding or through basal word recognition. Word lists appropriate for the elementary grades were used to…

To test the effect of clinically relevant multiple-choice item content on the validity of statistical discriminations of physicians' clinical competence, data were collected from a field test of the Emergency Medicine Examination, test items for the certification of specialists in emergency medicine. Two 91-item multiple-choice subscales were…

A rating scale was developed for the evaluation of behaviors and skills required of medical students. From 400 items based on various role-defining studies, 92 were selected. The project staff randomly assigned 46 items to each of two alternate forms. Seven medical schools were identified as sites for pilot testing. Medical students who agreed to…

With the intent of spurring discussion and raising important issues about the topic of test standards, this circular serves primarily as a resource document for member organizations of the National Consortium on Testing (NCT). Additionally, it identifies the broad changes which have evolved since 1953 regarding ethical and technical standards for…