Testing programs are often classified as high or low stakes to indicate how stringently they need to be evaluated. However, in practice, this classification falls short. A high-stakes label is taken to imply that all indicators of measurement quality must meet high standards; whereas a low-stakes label is taken to imply the opposite. This approach…

The first large-scale, nationwide academic achievement testing program using Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford) for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the United States started in 1969. Over the past three decades, the Stanford has served as a benchmark in the field of deaf education for assessing student academic achievement. However, the…

Demands for accountability have seen the implementation of large scale testing programs in Australia and internationally. There is, however, a growing body of evidence to show that externally imposed testing programs do not have a sustained impact on student achievement. It has been argued that teacher assessment is more effective in raising…

The importance of student assessment, particularly for summative purposes, has increased greatly over the past thirty years. At the same time, emphasis on including all students in assessment programs has also increased. Assessment programs, whether they are large-scale, district-based, or teacher developed, have traditionally attempted to assess…

Education has become one of America's biggest industries. As a result, the public wants some evidence concerning the quality of the educational program. This booklet was written to delineate the role of assessment as an important aspect of a comprehensive accountability system for the nation's elementary and secondary schools. It describes what…

Recent focus on student achievement and the effectiveness of schools, school boards, and teachers has lead to increased demands for accountability in education. Large scale assessments are now used in most provinces in Canada to examine the degree to which educational standards are being reached and explore issues of accountability. Alternative…

Proponents of out-of-level testing generally contend that there are three benefits for students with disabilities: (1) undue test frustration is avoided; (2) test measurement accuracy is improved; and (3) test items are better matched to students' current educational goals and instructional level (Thurlow, Elliott, & Ysseldyke, 1999). It is…

Three propositions which may suggest a strategy for meeting the measurement needs of education are presented: (1) Educational measurement possesses enough techniques and principles to permit tackling problems for their intrinsic importance, rather than for their convenience of fit to answers we already have; (2) Measurement needs are a subset of…

This report, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, contains summary details of Delaware students' growth in the areas of reading, mathematics, writing, science and social studies. The results reported herein are part of a long-term effort to gather data on Delaware students' educational progress and use the data to inform decisions about…

The 1970 Educational Conference sponsored by the Educational Records Bureau focused on the topic "Testing in Turmoil: A Conference on Problems and Issues in Educational Measurement." The International Reading Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education co-sponsored two conference sessions entitled "The Measurement of Reading:…