This digest presents various views of the federal role in testing and offers a brief examination of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the "nation's report card," in its national sample format and its state administration, which critics fear has the potential to become a de facto national test if selected as the…

As a result of the recent growth in homeschooling in the United States, colleges and universities have received an increasing number of applications from home-schooled students. Admissions officers have found it necessary to assess whether and how their admissions requirements should be modified to allow fair review of the credentials submitted by…

Aptitude tests are defined in contrast to intelligence and achievement tests. Although aptitude tests, like intelligence tests, measure a student's overall performance across a broad range of mental capabilities, the former also often include items that measure more specialized abilities (such as verbal and numerical skills) that predict…

A new national assessment system could lay a solid foundation for improving schools by monitoring the effectiveness of schools and teachers and student progress toward national goals. A sound national assessment system would: (1) allow valid comparisons between schools, districts, and states; (2) provide sound data on achievement, not just…

This ERIC Digest describes the development of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress for geography and the results from that examination of geographic knowledge and skills of students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The assessment format utilized multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions. Results were reported…

Is the criticism of today's public schools and its employees unwarranted? This document highlights some data that cast the performance of American public schools in a more favorable light. Contrary to popular belief, today's students compare favorably with those in the past and with students in other countries. A higher percentage of American…

The academic achievement of limited-English-speaking (LEP) students has long been a major national educational concern. This digest focuses on: (1) factors that promote or inhibit academic achievement in a second language; (2) the length of time needed for LEP students to achieve at comparable levels in school with their native English-speaking…

Five alternatives to standardized testing of student achievement are described in this brief overview. The first, criterion-referenced tests, are designed to evaluate the accomplishment of specifically stated instructional objectives. Student performance is judged on the basis of the objectives, rather than in comparison to other students taking…

The testing of many American Indian children using standardized exams (achievement, aptitude, ability, and intelligence tests) developed for the majority American society represents a case of cross-cultural testing which is likely to produce invalid results in the form of underestimation of student performance. Requirements for obtaining accurate…

This digest summarizes what is known about scholastic achievement in general education at the college level, and is based on a study using the College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (College BASE), a criterion-referenced achievement test of general education skills and competencies. College BASE assesses achievement in four subject areas:…

In 1986, a total of 11 different populations involving more than 1000 schools and more than 20,000 students participated in the Second IEA Science Study (SISS). This digest discusses findings related to curricular patterns and student outcomes. Ratings were done at grades 5, 9, and 12, to ensure that the achievement tests reflected the science…

Schools across the United States are striving to improve student performance in science by adjusting curricula and teaching practices to meet national and state standards. This ERIC Digest describes the current status of proficiency testing in science, including the topics of high stakes testing and its outcomes. It also discusses the future of…

A discussion of appropriate ways of preparing students to take standardized tests is presented for school administrators. The point at which preparation practices move beyond the ethical depends on the inferences one wishes to draw from test scores. Inferences drawn from test scores are general in nature and will be inaccurate if instruction is…

An annotated list of 11 books, guides, and online information retrieval systems that describe available standardized aptitude and achievement tests, test reviews, databases, and other sources of testing information is provided. The list is designed to help in the identification of useful standardized tests. (TJH)

This digest lists guides to non-commercial tests and compilations of such tests to help identify potentially useful non-commercial tests and assessment instruments to measure special characteristics of students. Reliability and validity information is frequently available. The guides reviewed include: (1) "Measures for Psychological…