This brief article presents some of the facts and figures learned from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is an on-going nationwide survey to determine what America's students are learning. It is conducted by the Educational Testing Service, and, at the time this article was written, was funded by the National Institute…

A brief, nontechnical state-of-the-art review of four common instruments and current practices in the field of scholastic aptitude testing is presented. The instruments include: the 1971 Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), 1973 Henmon-Nelson Tests of Mental Ability (H-NTMA), 1979 Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and the 1970 Short Form Test of…

The "Instructional Improvement Digest" communicates advisory information about practical courses of action that can be implemented by teachers and administrators to improve key areas of school instruction. The series digest topics draws upon inquiry associated with the Southwest Regional Laboratory for Educational Research and Development's…

This article is a brief summary of "The Standardized Test Scores of College Graduates, 1964-1982," a study sponsored by the National Institute of Education (NIE), which pulls together scores on a variety of examinations as well as student background information. Over the past two decades the test scores of college graduates have…

The discussion on criterion-referenced (CRT) and norm-referenced achievement tests (NRT) is divided into two parts: definitions and use. The authors contrast CRTs, tests which compare an individual's performance to some specified behavioral criterion of proficiency, and NRTs, tests which compare an individual's score to scores of others. They also…

The eight articles of this issue examine the nature of differences that arise between qualitative and quantitative researchers in program evaluation in terms of goals and epistemologies. The origins of these differences and their consequences are explored. Authors represent both perspectives but do not defend their ideological turfs. (SLD)

The state-by-state comparisons of results on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) present the literacy community with some good news and a bit of a puzzle: scores have improved, but the results cannot provide answers as to why one grade or state is doing better or worse than in the past. State-by-state results show that…

The Alaska Statewide Assessment Test is administered to fourth and eighth graders every two years in reading and mathematics. Assessment Report 7 describes how the assessment process works, analyzing results, test content, results for 1983, and statewide average scores. A question-answer format is used to discuss the following: (1) Was students'…

The increased attention to measuring career skills has resulted in more instrument development, more testing of students, and more test administrators. There are three key areas of concern. The first area is that of identifying purposes to be served by assessing career skills. Purposes include permitting descriptions of the current status of…

The Alaska Statewide Assessment Test (ASAT) in reading and math is administered to fourth and eighth graders every two years. This document contains three separate assessment reports generally titled "An Update on the Alaska Statewide Testing Program." Assessment Report 8, "The Interpretive Panels Look at Results," lists…

The nature and common uses of standardized achievement tests are described and placed in context in order to evaluate claims and criticisms that are commonly made. Tests are described as samples of behavior and hence subject to sampling errors. Much of the debate is dominated by emotion and prejudices. There is very little empirical evidence about…

A series of reports informs educators and parents about the Alaska Statewide Assessment, a program designed to measure student performance in mathematics and reading. The first report covers the 1981 assessment, proposed planning and changes in the program for 1983, evaluation plans, and test scores. Report 2 describes the progress of score…

This book is intended to help instructors construct reading tests. All the chapters are concerned with viewing two complementary aspects of the written text materials that is used as the base for testing: (1) the relations that hold among the parts of a written text that occur together; and (2) the fact that each word in a text plays certain roles…

Standardized achievement tests are often misused as indicators of a school's quality or effectiveness relative to other schools. This is an incorrect use because it ignores variation among schools in student abilities, family support of education, student mobility, and other factors. People also misuse tests because they impute to them more…

This newsletter issue's feature describes difficulties the special child faces in acquiring social skills, and ways in which families and teachers can help. It outlines the socialization process beginning in early infancy, with eating habits being one of the first ways an infant is socialized into his or her culture. In early childhood, the…