Seven forms of a sixty item multiple choice test were administered to 454 college freshmen for the purpose of studying the effects on reliability and performance of keyed response option sequencing that would be unlikely under a random model. (Author)

EIGHT INSTRUCTIONAL TESTS SPANNED THE CURRICULUM OF ONE YEAR OF BIOLOGY STUDY. THE FIRST CONCERNED THE NATURE OF SCIENCE INCLUDED 4 AREAS OF EMPHASIS--THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF HYPOTHESIS, THE IDEA OF CONTROLS IN EXPERIMENTS, INTERPRETATION OF GRAPHED DATA, AND THE NATURE OF DATA. THE SECOND TEST WAS DESIGNED TO SHOW AN UNDERSTANDING OF…

To understand the contributions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) toward solving the problems of literacy and equity, this report addresses two questions: (1) How can NAEP provide useful information concerning educational equity and standards of and levels of literacy, particularly with regard to linguistic and ethnic…

This brief introduction to testing is geared to parents. Types of tests are defined, such as standardized tests, achievement tests, norm referenced tests, criterion referenced tests, and aptitude tests. Various types of scores (grade equivalent, percentile rank, and stanine are also defined, and the uses made of tests by administrators, teachers,…

This study examines the reasons some Los Angeles City College (LACC), California, applicants did not complete registration after taking the college's Guidance Examination (used for course placement and counseling). Of 2,320 applicants, 489 failed to register for the spring 1970 semester after taking the examination; of these, 239 returned…

This classification and annotation of a sampling of reference sources in educational measurement is presented as an aid to literature searches for students, educators, psychologists, and researchers. The sources are grouped under four major headings: reference volumes, books, professional journals, and materials available from test publishers. The…

Standardized tests are devised to sort students out, comparing them on a scale from high to low, not to discover what students know. Thus, results of standardized tests are misleading in representing the achievements of educational programs and in comparing one school or school system with another. Criterion tests, however, measure directly and…

The Bryant Youth Educational Support Center (YES) was established to meet the needs of Bryant Junior High students who were socially maladjusted and/or academically underachieving. The primary objectives of the center are to provide basic-skills remedial instruction and to modify inappropriate behavior. During the 1971-1972 school year, 50…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of pretesting results on the future learning behavior of graduate students of a university. The teaching technique used was pretesting to assess student entry behavior. Considered in the study was the effect on student behavior of the instructor informing the class they had failed to meet the…

In the first of three experiments, university undergraduates were presented a list of 300 words and 100 nonwords in two sessions. Their confidence that an item was a word was indicated for each item on a six-point scale. This experiment demonstrated the feasibility of creating a recognition test of vocabulary. In Experiment 2, 100 items were…

Article discussed the disadvantages of student testing as a means of evaluating student progress in the classroom and suggested the use of a new model of assessment. Three steps intended for classroom diagnosis of students were described. (RK)

Author argued that educational evaluation must be broadened considerably from a narrow, quantitative approach to one that also includes qualitative aspects of educational life. (Author/RK)

Examines the problems of constructing tests and shows how the rules of transformation generative grammar can be used to produce easily understood test questions. (RB)

The author examines performance contracting, the planning programming and budgeting system (PPBS), testing, and the voucher system to show that accountability (when equated to expenditures and statistical data) is inappropriate when applied to education. (MJB)