Details some of the advantages provided by a testing service that evaluates student writing. (NKA)

Increasing public understanding of school testing programs is seen as the joint responsibility of test publishers and schools, and also as a primary responsibility on the part of test publishers to increase the schools' understanding of tests. The most common areas of misunderstanding about tests are addressed: purpose of the testing program; the…

Analyzes Hughes and Nelson's study of placement testing at Riverside Community College and offers an alternative method of evaluating placement systems using logistic regression. Reanalyzes data from an ASSET placement test validity study using logistic regression. (DMM)

The problems associated with integrating limited-English-speaking students into English-speaking college classrooms are difficult to resolve. Beginning in fall 1998, the American College Testing Programs' new computer-adaptive English-as-a-Second-Language Assessment Battery, designed for use in postsecondary education programs, will help identify…

Examines the following aspects of the relationship between assessment and student success: the developing relationship between assessment and instruction; a model comprehensive assessment and placement delivery system; a critical path for assessment and placement; campus studies; and student flow from assessment through instruction. (DMM)

Advocates the testing and placement of incoming college students, arguing that students need access to information on their personal attributes and institutional options. Identifies criteria to be considered in selecting placement tests and making placement decisions. Offers suggestions for creating a systematic placement process. (DMM)

Assessment programs, which have recently been implemented in colleges around the country, have indirectly affected the quality of education in ways that are both researchable and measurable. Admissions and placement testing affect educational quality by separating high and low achievers, and making it possible for high-level texts to be used and…

Highlights ways community colleges have responded to demands for increased accountability through retention programs, placement testing, skills and goals assessment, learning laboratories and skill centers, and the use of computer technology to collect and analyze data on student outcomes and individualized instruction. (DMM)

The present system of testing and placement at Lane Community College (LCC) provides for voluntary assessment in reading, writing, and mathematics during orientation period, followed by recommendations for enrollment in appropriate courses. While only 15% to 20% of the new students at LCC participate in the testing/placement program, it must be…

Explores the relationship between mandates for educational excellence and more rigorous standards and the community college's role in providing access to educational opportunity for all students. Underscores the difference between accountability-based assessment and compliance-based testing. (DMM)

Prepared by four state-appointed task forces, this report recommends policies and procedures for basic skills education in the State of Washington to assist local and statewide planning. Following introductory material on the mandate and members of the task forces, Section I considers the organization and management of developmental programs,…

The result of both discussions and individual papers by members of the Intersegmental Committee on Writing Skills of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, this position paper proposes a possible, intersegmental solution to the problem of the inadequacy of student writing skills. After presenting background information on the problem,…

This issue of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) "Bulletin" describes various academic support services provided by community colleges to strengthen instruction and to assist staff members in their own development. Introductory comments discuss the relationship between academic support services and classroom instruction, with…

These four serial issues examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of a variety of assessment tests as well as their relationship to developmental education. Included are reviews of the following tests: (1) the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program, a self-scoring test of English and mathematics; (2) the Stanford Achievement Test, an…