In the United States, tests are held to high standards of quality. In developing countries such as Malawi, psychometricians must deal with these same high standards as well as several additional pressures such as widespread cheating, test administration difficulties due to challenging landscapes and poor resources, difficulties in reliably scoring…

This publication provides a reference for educators and others interested in conducting comparative studies relative to North Carolina tests. It includes norms, tables, and other statistical information for all state-developed tests (state-mandated and local-option tests for which baseline data are available) that were administered during the…

The School-Based Management and Accountability Program, also known as the "ABCs of Public Education," or just "the ABCs," is the statewide school-based accountability program for public schools in North Carolina. This document reports the results of the 1997-98 ABCs, in the second year of the implementation of the ABCs in…

Every year approximately 1,300 first-year students at the Rochester Institute of Technology complete a 50-minute placement essay during summer and fall orientations. The essays are scored holistically, and the students are placed into one of three levels of an English composition course. At the end of the 10-week quarter of instruction, students…

This technical report describes the development of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), an instrument designed to measure Florida college students' achievement of the computation and communication skills expected by the completion of their sophomore year. Section I covers CLAST's background and purpose, the requirement that all students…

Respondents to a 1982-83 survey of assessment practices in California's community colleges identified Sacramento City College (SCC), Fullerton College (FC), Sierra College (SC), and Victor Valley College (VVC) as having the most effective assessment/placement programs in the state. Interviews conducted on-site with at least three staff members…

To combat negative press reports concerning schools and test scores, the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) Public Information Office (PIO) and the Department of Instructional Research, Testing, and Evaluation (IRTE) developed a dissemination plan geared toward informing the public about testing. Designed to include both test scores and information…

The role of the state government in higher education assessment is clearly expanding as both the state's interest and investment in higher education grows. Currently, patterns of state involvement vary widely--from indirect incentive programs to direct legislation or regulatory action. Institutional assessment and the resulting reform must be…

The use of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) was evaluated by the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of research studies relating to CLEP conducted in various states, CLEP policies at state universities and community colleges in Florida were examined. Perceptions of Florida…

The Provincial Assessment of Mathematics was conducted at grades 3, 6, 9 and 12. There are three major components to the assessment: (1) a written test of the curriculum objectives carried out in May, 1987 for grades 3, 6, and 9, and in June, 1987 for grade 12 (Mathematics 300 and Mathematics 301); (2) a survey of teachers at these grade levels;…

An urban school district affected by testing in the effective schools context is described in order to provide examples of the effects of testing on teaching and the curriculum. The report describes the method of operationalizing the effective schools research using test information. An important catalyst to improving the instructional program was…

The New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) is administered in a new form each year to all entering freshmen in New Jersey public colleges and 12 participating independent colleges. The NJCBSPT was taken by 44,344 students from March through December 1985. Test results revealed the following: (1) 26% were proficient in verbal…

Systematic activities of the guidance program at the Halstead, Kansas high school--enrollment 215--are used to illustrate what a small rural school can do to help students register and prepare for the ACT (American College Testing Program) and use test results to plan their educational futures. Halstead students' ACT scores consistently exceed…

This collection of reports, outlines, and instructions provides information on the development, content, and use of the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), an achievement test that measures the communication and computation skills of college students as mandated by Florida state legislation. First, a status report on the development of…

A final report is provided of the CASAS Project, a comprehensive educational assessment system designed to measure the identified competencies of local educational programs for all levels of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL). The report begins with lists of personnel involved in the project, and an overview of…