Many seem to believe that researcher-made tests are unnecessary, if not inappropriate, for evaluating reading comprehension interventions. We suggest that this view reflects a zeitgeist in which researcher-made (proximal) tests that align with the researchers' interventions are closely scrutinized and often devalued, whereas commercially developed…

In "The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better", the author's new book from which this article is drawn, the failures of test-based accountability are documented and some of the most egregious misuses and outright abuses of testing are described, along with some of the most serious negative effects. Neither good intentions…

Four major problem areas inhibit the standardized assessment of critical thinking (CT): (1) content validity; (2) construct validity; (3) technical jargon; and (4) background knowledge. Practical examples of framing multiple-choice items for assessment are suggested. In the area of content validity, new agreement about the definition of CT now…

The Learning Disability Index (LDI) was validated by an examination for mean profiles and demographic characteristics of high and low LDI subsets of the standardization sample of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. The LDI continuum was found to measure Third Factor strengths/weaknesses as much as verbal-performance…

A study of 33 elementary/middle school deaf children correlated Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised Performance Intelligence Quotients (IQs) with Stanford Achievement Test-Hearing Impaired Edition (SAT-HI) grade equivalents and age-based percentiles. A second study of 64 children correlated nonverbal IQs from many tests with SAT-HI…

This study used the Assessment Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to evaluate the appropriateness and adequacy of selected standardized tests of mathematics achievement as they pertain to students with disabilities. Problems with content validity included inadequate representation of content domains, inappropriate…

Carefully collected, quantifiable evidence must be assembled regarding not only the content representativeness of a test but also the significance of that content. In addition, the concept of "adequacy of preparation" should be seen as separate from the issue of content validity. (Author/GC)

Survey results have suggested that, while teachers like to have test information available, most do not have great skill or consistency in interpreting test score data. Teachers who consider a certain type of test very valuable or useful are less likely to question the accuracy of the scores than are teachers who consider a test to be of little…

The validity of interpreting teachers' perceptions of their performance as an index of their actual performance was examined. Two matching instruments were constructed; each contained 72 items in 6 categories of skills. One assessed teachers' perceptions of their competence on behaviorally stated generic teaching skills, and the other assessed…

Unless the characteristics of the units accompanying measurements are known, little legitimate evaluation can occur. Educators cannot assume their measurements are valid bases for evaluative statements unless higher level techniques (such as interval and ratio scales) have been employed. Misinterpretation arises from assuming that measurements…

Discusses the arguments for and against minimum competency testing, noting that the same issues are used to support both positions. (FL)

In state assessment programs in which performance has no real immediate consequence for the individual examinee, the issue of examinee motivation arises. Some examinees may respond to questions in ways that do not reflect their real knowledge of the test domain. In this study, a new approach was developed to identify students who have responded to…

Issues in designing valid tests for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed. Test scores are often provided without any information on the nature of the tasks represented. Because test domains are defined by individual item writers, the generalizability between tests and items is suspect. While typical content…

Presents rationale to reject claims that intelligence tests validly measure intellectual ability and predict school achievement. (DW)

The cultural test bias hypothesis represents the contention that all ethnic or racial group differences on mental tests are due to inherent, artifactual biases produced within the tests through flawed psychometric methodology. This address focuses on an empirical evaluation of the cultural test bias hypothesis, especially emphasizing the construct…