The authors provide information about test construction and testing practices in order to help parents and teachers to ask important and critical questions about them. Issues pertinent to the appropriate selection, use, and interpretation of tests are presented. (Author/CL)

Teaching matters. Study after study confirms that students who have high quality teachers make significant and lasting achievement gains. Those with less effective teachers play a constant game of academic catch-up. Having high quality teachers consistently tops parents' list of critical elements of an effective school. As the National Commission…

Testing in the nation's schools is on the rise. From the classroom quiz to the large-scale standardized test, the pressure for education to be "accountable" has intensified. As children experience this new tide of testing, it is helpful to become more aware of the different types of tests and their purposes. Students in the United States…

The accuracy and fairness of standardized testing is taken very seriously in the education world. These issues are a major focus of both the testing experts who develop standardized tests and the researchers who endeavor to ensure a test's fairness, reliability, validity, and accuracy. But many issues remain both controversial and complex. The…

This briefing paper reviews the special education evaluation process for children with disabilities. It discusses the purpose of an evaluation and who is involved in an evaluation. An explanation of the steps of the process includes: (1) using what is known about a child by looking at a child's school file and recent test scores; (2) collecting…

The handbook reviews approximately 150 educational tests and their uses within the total process of educational assessment for students who have academic difficulty because of mental retardation; learning disabilities; physical handicaps; emotional, sensory, and social disorders; other health impairments; and related problems. Introductory…