Real and perceived misuses of educational tests, errors in test scoring and test use, and incidents of cheating on tests have been widely reported in local and national media. As educational tests take on additional importance for students, teachers, and schools, there is appropriate concern about the quality of assessments and the appropriate use…

Many individuals working in education-related professions have a variety of needs for educational and psychological tests results regarding their students or clients. This chapter addresses school counselors' use of tests in educational settings and the right to test as a competency-based issue. Although the subject appears on the surface not to…

Tests--typically cognitive achievement tests--are instruments for providing a more sensitive analysis of the learning sequence and of the instruction guiding it. In addition to an overall score, standardized tests provide a variety of subscores that help the teachers identify where a student might be encountering the greatest difficulties. The…

Two trends have converged during the past three decades to change the face of public school education in America. First, achievement testing has been greatly expanded in terms of both the quantity of tests available and the number of uses for the information collected from testing. Second, there has been a significant increase in the development…

Guidelines for test developers and users are provided to insure that construction and selection of test instruments are conducted fairly. In addition to development and selection, issues of interpretation of scores; provision of information to test takers; and prevention of test bias based on race, gender, or ethnicity are addressed. Twenty-one…

Describes how the Allentown, Pennsylvania, public school district uses district-wide final examinations (along with some class-specific test items designed by teachers) to assess secondary school programs, provide "feedback" to teachers, and evaluate student mastery of learning objectives. (MCG)

As education policymakers have moved to reform K-12 public education, the roles of test publishers in assessment have expanded. In the last two decades these expanded roles have coincided with the movement of assessment to the center of education reform initiatives. The drive for improvement in public education has made the roles of test…

Considerable testing occurs in the schools and in related educational settings. Schools are microcosms of society, and changes that affect society are also likely to affect the schools in similar ways. The composition of American society has been changing dramatically in recent years, and this particular change is one that has influenced schools…

This book describes how examinations and national assessments can be used to encourage more pedgaogically sound teaching and learning. It provides concrete examples of ways to measure student learning and describes how to develop, score, and interpret tests to ensure that they are valid, reliable, and fair to all children. It offers techniques and…

A group of school districts in Western Oregon has developed a goal-based improvement model that provides teachers and administrators with a common information base. (Author)

Views teacher-made tests as a fundamental part of the educational process, defining instructional purposes, influencing what students study, and helping instructors gain perspective on their courses. Offers examples of test items that can perform these functions, while assessing knowledge and skills. (DMM)

The purpose of this chapter is to capture what the future holds for assessment in education and counseling. The author reviews the impact of technology, high-stakes testing, and testing accommodations. Concludes that since the use of tests and assessment in educational institutions will continue to expand, enhanced training in the use of tests and…

This field memo is the third in a series of updates from the Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education to all teachers and administrators of public and nonpublic schools on standards and assessments in New York. This document explains how the New York State Education Department determines if test…

This pamphlet presents answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). They include questions about the history of MEAP, its costs, subject coverage, test validity, the type of tests, administration of the tests, and use of MEAP results. (BW)

The resurgence of testing and the significance of this trend to learning assistance facilitators and developmental educators are discussed. This increase in testing, particularly as it manifests itself on college and university campuses, reflects a shift of emphasis in testing, from measuring aptitude to measuring the effect of instruction.…