This article presents a model of assessment development integrating student characteristics with the conceptualization, design, and implementation of standardized achievement tests. The model extends the assessment triangle proposed by the National Research Council (Pellegrino, Chudowsky, & Glaser, 2001) to consider the needs of students with…

Discusses current high-stakes standardized testing policy in response to G. Cizek through analogy with the policies of Chairman Mao in China and the decision to build the Maginot Line in France after World War I. Lessons from these events show that high-stakes policies skew outcomes and present high risk. (SLD)

Although G. Cizek's article balances positive consequences for high-stakes testing against anti-testing criticisms, there is no evidence that high-stakes testing per se has substantial positive consequences. There is, however, optimism that aligned educational systems with testing as a component may lead to higher levels of student achievement.…

Responds to critiques of an earlier article on the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing. Reiterates the need to look for positive as well as negative consequences of high stakes testing and calls for balance between the role of large-scale assessment in identifying achievement deficits and the responsibility educational systems have to…

The accuracy of statistics based on performance assessments that represent percentages of students reaching standards is explored using data from a large-scale performance assessment, the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program. Results with students in grades 3, 5, and 8 support the accuracy of pooling results to produce the statistics.…

Four publishers responding to the previous discussion agreed that American elementary achievement has improved, but evidence presented by the Secretary of Education confirms that few real improvements have occurred since "Nation at Risk." Commercial achievement tests provide falsely high scores (the Lake Wobegon Effect). (SLD)

The increased use of test scores as a measure of school quality is discussed. Legitimate and illegitimate practices of test preparation are considered. Some commercial test preparation programs are reviewed, with some conclusions about their effectiveness and desirability. (SLD)

The author describes the evolution of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). He describes some of the contributions to educational research made by inquiries based on the SAT and gives particular attention to the way scaling and equating procedures for the SAT have evolved over the last half century. (Author/JAZ)

Differences between national testing as discussed in the most recent report of the National Council on Education, Standards, and Testing, and by the Office of Technology Assessment are reviewed. National testing is not new, but the political use of nationally standardized achievement tests is a recent and dangerous trend. (SLD)

One means of establishing the validity of performance-based assessments is to determine whether the criteria for basic competencies on performance tests are reasonable in relation to expected (nationally normed) age-level performance. Links between performances on three assessments in Michigan and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills illustrate…

A sample (N=37) of currently published achievement tests was surveyed as to the availability of five types of technical data: (1) item selection techniques; (2) standardization; (3) types of norms; (4) types of validating data; and (5) types of reliability data. Recommendations for publishers and cautions for test users are given. (BS)

The use of national achievement tests in schools can result in varying degrees of curricular match/mismatch with respect to local curricula. This article explores the types of mismatch which can occur, discusses the inferences made from test scores and their importance, and addresses some implications for the educational community. (EGS)

Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

Findings from a state survey about practices in testing students of limited English proficiency (LEP) confirm a general lack of policies and guidelines relating to the standardized achievement testing of LEP students. Concern for LEP students in testing may reflect a general interest in bilingual education. (SLD)

Effects of standardized testing on teaching and learning were studied in a survey of 341 elementary school teachers in 9 states, focusing on the meaning of test scores and test-score gains. Results indicate that standardized testing has considerable effects, and that teachers feel considerable pressure to improve student scores. (SLD)