Purpose: The impact of morphological knowledge on students' literacy development has been well documented. The purpose of this tutorial is to illustrate how school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can target morphology in their interventions to support their students' literacy development. Method: This tutorial includes a review of the…

Federal education legislation continues to emphasize the role of assessment in elementary and secondary schools. Perhaps most prominently, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95), requires the use of test-based educational accountability systems in states and specifies the…

Independent schools are, for the most part, exempt from mandatory participation in standardized tests designed for state and federal comparisons, nor are they required to take part in comparative international assessments. The anxiety in the broader culture, however, is driving a growing interest among independent school parents (and prospective…

The authors criticize an article by John Carrol in the February 1987 "Phi Delta Kappan" in which he discussed the Reading Proficiency Scale issued by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. They feel the Reading Proficiency Scale has limited usefulness. Includes 21 references. (Author/MD)

Grouping students to facilitate instruction alone, instructional delivery systems which maintain student dependency on teachers, the practice of teaching to disseminate information without mastery, class norm-referenced grading practices, and study habits which focus on getting grades, help produce the educational dilemma faced today. In mastery…

In this discussion of whether youth fitness tests should be evaluated with norm-referenced standards or criterion-referenced standards, it is pointed out the the suitability of the test depends upon the purpose for which the test is administered. A high level of physical fitness is linked with health, at least in adults, which suggests that…

Concerns about norm-referenced achievement tests involve (1) the purposes of the tests (comparability of results); (2) the content of the tests; (3) psychometric screening of test items; (4) the form of tests items; (5) the interpretation of summary scores; and (6) the construct validity of the tests. Offers guidelines for use of norm-referenced…

This paper examines the different strategies used to argue for and against testing of English Language Learners (ELL) in California. The study arose from protests directed at a California law requiring that a norm-referenced achievement test be used to assess school children on their mastery of basic skills. The paper describes the different uses…

When norm-referenced tests are developed for instructional purposes, to assess the effects of educational programs, or for educational research purposes, it can be very important to conduct item and test analyses. These analyses can evaluate the quality of items and of the test as a whole. Such analyses can also be employed to revise and improve…

Kentucky is reintroducing the norm-referenced, multiple-choice test. Students will be given both performance and multiple-choice tests, beginning in spring 1997. Kean believes this multiple-measures approach is a common-sense way to provide the measurement-driven accountability that most states require. Neill deplores multiple-choice testing and…

For all its attractiveness, alternative assessment is fraught with complications and difficulties, as Rhode Island's experience shows. Although alternative assessment can be systematic, there are no ways to rate large numbers of performance-based tasks, portfolios, interviews, exhibits, or essays. Some standardization is necessary, and assessment…

The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement is a norm-referenced, individually administered measure of the school achievement of students in grades 1-12, focusing on the areas of reading decoding, reading comprehension, mathematics application, mathematics computation, and spelling. The test's administration, summation of data, standardization,…

Four problems related to how to best use testing and assessment to improve learning are discussed: (1) criterion- versus norm-referenced scores; (2) scaling; (3) communication and reporting of achievement; and (4) external versus school-based assessment. Comparisons of current practices in different countries, described in subsequent articles, are…

Explains and contrasts the techniques and philosophies of norm-referenced (NRT) and criterion-referenced tests (CRT). NRTs are criticized for lack of useful information and control. CRTs are usually teacher-made and customized to fit the classroom needs, offering more control over test content, but few teachers are prepared to develop them. (SM)

This article describes errors resulting from use of standardized language tests using a "normal" sample as the normative comparison group. Resulting errors include, among others, identifying normal children as language impaired, providing misleading profiles of verbal and nonverbal performance, and inability to determine impairment severity.…