Recently, educational researchers and practitioners have turned to value-added models to evaluate teacher performance. Although value-added estimates depend on the assessment used to measure student achievement, the importance of outcome selection has received scant attention in the literature. Using data from a large, urban school district, I…

Some of the problems involved in the use of intelligence and achievement tests with bicultural students are discussed. Some tests are "fair" to bicultural groups. The Arthur Performance Scale and the Goodenough Draw-A-Man-Test are fair to certain Hopi and Navajo Indian Groups. The use of these tests has been limited because they have not…

The recommended procedure for achievement test selection is presented. Following a review of some fundamental definitions of statistical properties of achievement tests (validity, reliability, and norms), major considerations to be applied in selecting achievement tests are discussed. These considerations are: (1) the characteristics of the school…

Analyzes the uses that can be made from test data and the influences such data can have on communication with communities, in the evaluation of school's effectiveness, and student's placement. (Author/RK)

This digest lists guides to non-commercial tests and compilations of such tests to help identify potentially useful non-commercial tests and assessment instruments to measure special characteristics of students. Reliability and validity information is frequently available. The guides reviewed include: (1) "Measures for Psychological…

This manual sets forth comprehension guidelines and procedures for selecting instruments to measure educational growth, achievement, and outcomes. The necessary criteria are presented in a checklist format, permitting local district personnel to evaluate the worth of testing instruments before adoption. A subset of the criteria are defined as…

Provides a cursory comparison of four popular social studies achievement tests, discusses the relationship between the subject matter and the test, and provides examples of new methods of testing that give the teacher and the class tools for summarizing and interpreting what they are learning as they work together. (Author/IRT)

This list of tests was compiled as a reference for those persons responsible for the planning of testing programs or evaluation. Although it is not intended to be all-inclusive, 12 reading readiness, 15 reading achievement, 9 diagnostic, and 10 achievement batteries are described. Two programs of supplementary materials are mentioned. Information…

Both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced measures are useful tools to the classroom teacher, but each has its specific uses. The criterion-referenced measure is useful when one is interested in whether an individual possesses particular competencies and when there are no quotas as to how many possess that skill. It is particularly useful in…

The educational accountability movement is changing the teacher's role in curriculum development from that of autonomous decision maker to agent of public school policy makers. To assess teacher reactions to factors influencing their autonomy, 75 teachers were exposed to pressures to change the content of fourth grade mathematics instruction in a…

This guide explains the concept of out-of-level testing and suggests a formula for estimating the occurrence of floor effects and ceiling effects, within the context of models for evaluating Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I programs. An analogy explains floor and ceiling effects as if test items are stored in different levels in a…

The Rasch model was used to compare the grade equivalent scores which students of equal ability would have obtained, had they taken different levels of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Raw scores on items common to levels 9-14 of the ITBS (vocabulary subtest) were obtained from 6,000 students in Dallas, Texas. Rasch scales were used to…

This paper describes the experience of the Clemson University (South Carolina) faculty in choosing and administering a commercially available standardized test to assess general education at that institution. The paper emphasizes the importance of faculty involvement in the assessment of general education and its impact on the success of the…

The primary purpose of this leaflet is to assist the teacher of English in building good achievement tests, with special attention to planning and construction. Subjects covered are general considerations for planning a test, making a blueprint for the test, basic characteristics of effective tests and test questions, selecting the proper test…

THE USE OF TESTS IN THE EDUCATION OF THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED IS PRESENTED. APPROPRIATE USE OF SUCH TESTS CAN MAKE SOME CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DISCOVERY OF TALENT, TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES, AND TO THE BETTER GUIDANCE AND ADJUSTMENT OF CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN. MOST TESTS MEASURE ABILITY OR APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT. THE FORMER…