Even as the Internet and i-devices have changed so many parts of people's lives, educational testing has not changed substantially in decades. Though researchers and educators have for years raised ample concerns about existing tests, assessments have barely evolved. Further, despite years of expanded testing and greater school accountability,…

This paper presents a framework that institutions of higher education can use to improve, revise and introduce comprehensive systems for the collection and dissemination of information on student learning outcomes. For faculty and institutional leaders grappling with the many issues and nuances inherent in assessing student learning, the framework…

This paper considers several philosophies as they relate to student assessment. Realists believe that one can know the real world as it truly is. As a philosophy of testing and measurement, realism is characterized by behaviorally stated objectives, measurement-driven instruction, and report cards, along with the use of programmed materials.…

Sound testing practices and the high-quality information that can result are helpful to those who have oversight, responsibility, or interest in American education. To the extent that tests provide high-quality information, they form the basis for making accurate judgments about individual students. It is equally true, however, that factors which…

College course placement systems match students with instruction that is appropriate to their academic preparation and other characteristics. At a minimum, course placement involves assessing students' academic skills and providing them with instruction that is appropriate to their skills. Upon entry to college, students might encounter different…

Tests--typically cognitive achievement tests--are instruments for providing a more sensitive analysis of the learning sequence and of the instruction guiding it. In addition to an overall score, standardized tests provide a variety of subscores that help the teachers identify where a student might be encountering the greatest difficulties. The…

One role of counselors and educators is to use assessment in the service of students and clients by monitoring educational progress and ensuring that learning is taking place. Under the right conditions and with proper use, employing technology to foster assessment practices can introduce helpful and productive efficiencies into the educational…

Testing can be a time-consuming and tedious method of evaluation. This article suggests methods which don't take additional classroom time or turn students off, and which provide more immediate and constructive feedback than routine testing. (IAH)

Instructional assessment is a systematic approach to solving student academic, behavioral, and social-emotional problems by identifying the key factors that have created or are encouraging the problem. The instructional support team (IST) process emphasizes assistance to students. Assessment in IST consists of ongoing analysis of student…

Reviews the "Quick-Score Achievement Test" (Q-SAT), an individually administered measure of school achievement for use with students aged 7-18, which has two forms and yields scores for reading, writing, arithmetic, facts, and general achievement. (SKC)

In the United States, standardized educational tests have been used for assessment purposes in grades K through 12 almost since the inception of the testing movement in the early 1900s. Because test-based assessment can have wide-ranging positive or negative effects on K-12 students, the test user must ensure that the tests used for assessment…

In recent years, governments worldwide have increased their use of standardized tests and other forms of external tests to measure and report on student achievement in selected academic subjects. That trend, responding to public pressure on decision-makers to make school systems more transparent and accountable, is often colored by criticisms of…

This paper illustrates how statistical decision theory can be used to model aspects of the effectiveness of a course placement system. The illustration is based on data from students who enrolled in a first-year mathematics course at a midwestern university. To model the placement of students, the author first elicited students' and instructors'…

The assessment competencies set forth in this monograph are knowledge and skills critical to a teacher's role as an educator. It is suggested that the seven standards described as essential for educational assessment of students be incorporated into future teacher training and certification programs. The standards require that teachers be skilled…

In the "Student-Centered Classroom Assessment" textbook, readers are offered many opportunities to reflect on classroom assessment ideas in relation to their own classroom assessment experiences. As a companion to that text, this book of case studies serves the same purposes, but in a way that calls for the application of ideas and strategies…