Washback and fairness are interrelated in validity research, and thus an investigation into washback inevitably involves fairness. This article reports Phase One of a washback study of "Test for English Majors for Grade Eight" (TEM8). Phase One was a questionnaire survey administered to university program administrators. Two research…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which universities use the "GRE"® General Test scores to award merit-based fellowships to first-year graduate students in doctoral programs. While GRE use in fellowship award decisions is a common practice, there is very little validity evidence to support its use in this context.…

This study examined the general nature of school-based student assessment in a small sample (five elementary and three middle schools and one high school). It relies on descriptive analyses and the presentation of data obtained during site visits. The schools have been separated into those with well-developed student assessment systems and those…

Contains a test for assessing counselors' knowledge of the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) "Ethical Standards for School Counselors." This self-examination is intended to help counselors increase their levels of awareness and understanding of the standards and become more competent and comfortable in making ethical decisions. (ABB)

The project explored the assessment of vocational decision-making capacities of handicapped students within the educational system, specifically the Decision-Making Interview (DMI) instrument. The adaptability, reliability, validity, and utility of the DMI with handicapped secondary students were investigated. Under an instrument adaptation phase…

This study analyzes the ways in which school boards assess and utilize evaluation data and their attitudes toward testing. Interviews with 27 school board members from 10 districts indicate that board members tend to rely on informal working knowledge over formal information, and on district administrators' judgments. Findings suggest that simple…

The increasing use of educational tests to establish the accountability, credibility, and viability of educational programs is paralleled with increasing criticism of the "accountability through testing" philosophy. To analyze the relevancy and appropriateness of tests for educational decision making at the school district level, three…

In this study, FairTest evaluated how well state assessment practices live up to the promise of high standards without standardization. The practices of states were measured against standards derived from the "Principles and Indicators for Student Assessment Systems," a 1995 publication of education and civil rights groups working…

In July 1986, the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools began a 3-year study of the use of evaluative data in instructional planning and decision making in schools. This report summarizes the second year of the investigation, in which case studies of evaluative data use were conducted in one elementary school (kindergarten through grade 5) and one…