This document consists of the five issues of the newsletter of the General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service: January/February, March/April, May/June, September/October, and November/December. Each issue contains information of interest to users of the GED examinations. The feature article for the January/February issue is "Next…

An examination of the content and level of mastery required of students taking statewide mathematics achievement tests was conducted to provide clues about the kind and level of mathematics valued in the United States. Proposals for voluntary national tests also contributed to the rationale for the study. In particular, this study: (1) examined…

A survey was conducted to ascertain the amount and type of external testing (defined as any test introduced from outside the classroom) of English/language arts being administered throughout the province of British Columbia (Canada) during the 1985-1986 school year. Teachers and administrators were also given the opportunity to comment on the…

In 1989, 682,728 people (7% less than in 1988) took the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests). Approximately 68% earned scores sufficient to qualify for the GED diploma awarded by their jurisdictions. Departments and ministries of education in the United States and Canada awarded 376,879 credentials (down 13% from 1988) based on GED…

After the 1984-85 evaluation of the Special Needs Project in the North York, Ontario Schools, it was decided to extend the standardized achievement testing for the 1985-86 school year. Because of previous test validity problems, testing was continued under more uniform conditions; practice tests were available and the achievement tests were…

Focusing on technical issues, this paper critiques proposed changes in assessment procedures at the further educational level (ages 16 through 18) in England and Wales. Major structural changes are taking place at this educational level, partly because of large scale youth unemployment. The two current examination systems for the final year of…

The Social Studies Assessment Program was a province-wide assessment of Social Studies concepts, skills, and attitudes in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 in Manitoba (Canada) carried out during April, 1984. Designed to provide a profile of student performance on program objectives, the test was administered to a representative sample of students at each…

Events and considerations surrounding the publication of a document specifying the curriculum to be taught in British Columbia's schools are summarized in this paper. The province has moved from a centralized to a decentralized and back to a centralized curriculum. Arthur Wise has called one response that schools have to social criticism…

Aspects of practical assessment such as question design and management of the assessment are discussed. Reference is made to some of the problems and to the possibilities for innovation as a result of implementing practical assessment of the kind required by the General Certificate of Secondary Education examining groups. (CW)

This study introduced and demonstrated a new methodology for item and test bias studies: moderated differential item functioning (DIF). This technique expands the DIF methodology to incorporate contextual and sociological variables as moderating effects of the DIF. The study explored differential domain functioning (DDF), so that the focus of…

The way in which public examinations influence teaching and learning is commonly described as "washback" or backwash. This study examined the nature and scope of the impact of a public examination on English teaching in Taiwan to add to the existing literature on testing washback in an English-as-a-second-language context. The relational…

Compares Malawi's study center system of secondary education, involving community centers, distance education institutions, radio programs, and self-instructional materials, with traditional secondary schools with regard to cost, access, full-examination passes, and subject passes. Finds that study centers increase access to second-level education…

Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent agency, answerable to the public, created in 1995 in response to input from educators, policymakers, parents, students, and citizens to do large-scale assessments and give objective and informed recommendations for educational improvements. Gives EQAO core values and 10…

The purpose of this study was to investigate statistical relationships between gender and Alberta Achievement Testing Program scores. Achievement test scores from grades 3, 6, and 9 in all subject areas were investigated during a four-year period. Results showed statistically significant positive correlations between gender and scores in most…

The purpose of this document is to provide teachers, administrators, students, and parents with samples of students' performances that exemplify standards in relation to the 1993 Grade 9 Science Performance-Based Assessment Tasks for the province of Alberta, Canada. A sample of 698 randomly selected students from 31 schools did the…