Love it or hate it, assessment has become the new reality on college and university campuses. Although measuring student achievement of course outcomes is not an easy task, assessment does not need to be a complex or painful experience. This paper describes the methods used to assess student achievement of the stated course outcomes in…

Included are instructional objectives which can be considered for use in a classroom or laboratory. The objectives are followed by measurement items meant to test if a certain objective is accomplished. Means for judging the adequacy of student responses are given. The areas of electronics included in this publication are: Fundamentals, Block…

End-of-course examinations are only as good as the assumptions used in designing them. What is a course's "essential" content? And what does it mean to master it? The end-of-course examinations developed by ACT are derived from assumptions that offer unique and challenging answers to these questions. This brief explains the process used to develop…

The curriculum evaluation method presented in this paper is focused on determining how an instructional program works in an attempt to explain its instructional accomplishments. The design of the evaluation separates the determination of the instructional program's potential for producing student proficiencies from the evaluation of implementation…

The purpose of this bulletin is to help teachers prepare students for the Student Achievement Testing Program by highlighting curriculum objectives to be tested. These curriculum specifications are based on the 1981 Alberta (Canada) Social Studies Curriculum. The guide delineates objectives, concepts, and content that are to be tested from three…

Analysis of data on this algebra course, gathered by the Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (CAM) system, indicated that equivalent scores were yielded by either random or chronological arrangement of the test items on the monitor forms. Chronological arrangement may be permissible, therefore, for normal data processing; random arrangement…

This paper argues that the technology of the systems approach to instruction (using performance objectives) demands a "rules" or structured organizational climate in which high productivity will most likely result from detailed supervision. The author focuses, albeit briefly, on performance as a function of the interaction between…

This discussion of achievement tests examines the relationship between curriculum and nationally standardized test scores. The mathematics curriculum and achievement scores of second through eighth grade children in a suburban community are presented as an example of the discrepancy in emphasis that may exist between curriculum and achievement…

This bulletin provides general information about the achievement testing program and a description of the grade three achievement test. The general information section elaborates on the aspects of the test which involve: (1) the test's purpose; (2) the nature of the test; (3) exemptions from the test; and (4) information concerning students…

A complete set of behavioral objectives for first-year algebra taught in any of grades 8 through 12 is presented. Three to six sample test items and answers are provided for each objective. Objectives were determined by surveying the most used secondary school algebra textbooks. Fourteen major categories are included: (1) whole numbers--operations…

Similar results were obtained here to those reported in TM 000 052: Random and chronological item arrangements yielded equivalent scores; the cognitive tests were again limited predictors of posttest achievement; and there was no consistent pattern as to the learning curve providing the test fit for all students, even though these monitors…

A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A "CURRICULUM HIERARCHY FOR THE EVALUATION OF COURSE KNOWLEDGE," THE "CHECK" TECHNIQUE, IS PRESENTED. THE TECHNIQUE IS BASED UPON A MODEL WHICH INITIALLY NECESSITATES TRANSLATING THE LEARNING PROCESSES AND OBJECTIVES INTO EASILY IDENTIFIABLE BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES. THE PROCESS OF…

To determine the correlation between unit test performance and retention on final examinations, scores of 68 secondary level teaching candidates enrolled in a general methods course were studied. Unit tests were administered frequently to determine student achievement of the 38 course objectives. Two retests per student were allowed, with…

Guidelines are presented to assist school divisions in implementing the accreditation requirement of the Virginia Board of Education for minimum competency assessment in citizenship for all high school graduates. It is assumed that local schools or divisions have established goals and objectives for social studies programs which may serve as a…

An empirical review of test items is described as an essential step in criterion-referenced test development. The concept of test items' instructional sensitivity is introduced, and research is briefly reviewed which describes four theoretical contexts in which instructional sensitivity indexes have been observed: criterion-referenced; classical…