Presents recommendations for improved testing practices in science based on an examination of contemporary assessment literature and interviews with educators. The recommendations address test format, teacher involvement in all steps of the testing process, and use of sampling strategies and computer technology. (MBR)

Current scoring procedures depend on unrealistic assumptions about subjects' performance on the rod-and-frame test. A procedure is presented which corrects for constant error, is sensitive to response strategy and consistency, and examines qualitative and quantitative aspects of performance and individual differences in laterality bias as defined…

Discussion of how computer technology can be integrated into elementary school instruction focuses on evaluating student learning through test scoring. Highlights include descriptions of a computer-based instructional delivery system, modified confidence weighted admissible probability measurement (MCW-APM), and computer-managed instructional…

Examines the ways in which computers can assist teachers in developing good tests. Describes the program TESTWORKS in detail and provides charts comparing this program with 11 others in the areas of price, type of questions generated, computer functions, and the usefulness of each. Discusses the use of word processors and databases. (KO)

This document contains the test administration plan for the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), a test used to assess the college-level skills of Florida students in the early years of college. The plan contains the procedures to be followed during the year in the administration of the CLAST. The document specifies the responsibilities of…

This manual is intended to provide Illinois school districts with guidance in developing learning assessment plans and using testing materials as part of the school improvement program mandated by the 1985 educational reform legislation for Illinois. Designed primarily to be a series of "how to" booklets, the manual is divided into six…

Following a critique of so-called educational testing, this article examines three "educationally noteworthy school testing programs"--those of Portland, Oregon; Orange County, Florida; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and one noteworthy school with no standardized testing: the Prospect School in Bennington, Vermont. Derives some broad…

This book offers specific how-to advice to college faculty on every stage of the testing process, including planning the test and classifying objectives to be measured, ensuring the validity and reliability of the test, and grading in such a way as to arrive at fair grades based on relevant data. The book examines the strengths and weaknesses of…

This handbook is intended for persons who might develop or use an item bank to support their testing program. An item bank is defined as a "large collection of distinguishable test items," with "large" explained as meaning that the number of items available is greater than the number to be used in any one test. The first section of the handbook…

This book explores current theory, research, practice, and policy in the assessment of higher order thinking in mathematics, focusing on the elementary and secondary grades. Current knowledge and research on mathematics learning and testing is synthesized. Examples of innovative test items for classroom use and state assessment programs are…

This collection of essays on measurement theory and language testing includes: "Computerized Adaptive Testing: Implications for Language Test Developers" (Peter Tung); "The Promise and Threat of Computerized Adaptive Assessment of Reading Comprehension" (Michael Canale); "Computerized Rasch Analysis of Item Bias in ESL…