Several questions are frequently asked by parents and news media regarding the purpose, content, and interpretation of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS)--the achievement battery currently used in South Carolina assessment programs. Proper interpretation of the CTBS, or any school district testing program, requires a sound…

This document provides basic information about the Statewide Student Assessment System in New Mexico. There are four components of the Statewide Student Assessment System that are guided by the State Department of Education. Each component serves a specific purpose and targets specific grade levels. The purpose of the reading assessment of grades…

The Massachusetts Basic Skills Testing Program, mandated by Chapter 188 of the Acts of 1985, seeks to identify students who have not mastered basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Because the Massachusetts Department of Education does not mandate any post-test action, it has not been possible to prescribe any method of providing help…

Designed for junior high and high school students and their parents, this brochure explains the structure, function, and method for interpretation of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress. A question and answer format is used to provide information on scope and purposes of the tests, meaning and accuracy…

The reading learning objectives for ninth graders contained in this volume are congruent with the Texas "State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum." These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for use by teachers and other educators responsible for student instruction and for test development specialists involved…

This paper describes the characteristics of the Minimum Skills Diagnostic Tests (MSDTs) components of the statewide testing program in North Carolina. The MSDTs' validity, method for deriving test scores, reliability and other statistics, test content, and test norms are discussed. These tests--given in grades 3, 6, and 8--assess an individual's…

As part of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP), minimum competency tests of reading, mathematics, and communication skills are administered annually to fourth, seventh, and tenth grade students in Michigan. Results are calculated for each of the desired objectives. Data are also collected on students' reading habits. MEAP test…

This manual is designed to accompany reports prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for the 505 school districts in that state, summarizing results of the Educational Quality Assessment. The normative sample is described as being stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administrative procedures are summarized.…

This guide examines the legal issues to consider in setting policy on the appropriate uses, and consequences, of student testing, and explores the controversies that have arisen in places where new polices were implemented. Chapter 1, "An Overview of Student Testing and Assessment," provides a brief overview of some of the state and…

The challenge of making educational programs accessible to people with disabilities, combined with the increasing emphasis on testing and other forms of assessment, has translated into a need for accommodations in the testing and assessment of people with disabilities. Typically, test accommodations are provided for people with sensory and/or…

This report contains the final products of the Student Services Program Review Project (SSPRP), which was designed to develop evaluation models to measure the efficacy of the various student services programs provided by the California community colleges. The first sections of the report offer introductory information on the goals and activities…

This is one of three publications prepared by the Ohio State Board of Education to assist schools in implementing a competency based education program, as required by the 1983 revised minimum standards for elementary and secondary schools. This document addresses the assessment requirement, with emphasis on defining, comparing, and contrasting…

This guide begins with a series of questions and answers that introduce Pennsylvania's Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) Inventory as a 188- to 190-item multiple-choice test for grades 5, 8, and 11. Items are selected from a 400-item bank using matrix sampling procedures. Test results are analyzed at the school level; no individual student…

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…

Annually in May and June, grade 3, 6, and 9 students in Alberta (Canada) take provincial achievement tests. This guide, in both English and French versions, explains the achievement tests. The tests are designed to indicate how well students meet the province's standards, to support teachers in planning instruction, and to inform the public about…