Results of the Alberta, Canada Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Program are presented for the January 1985 test administration. All twelfth grade students are required to pass at least one of these tests in order to receive a high school diploma. Some students also receive course credit by passing the appropriate examination. Examinations are…

In May and June of each year, Soviet students who have completed grades one through ten face a final examination in each of the major subjects which they have studied. The examinations are constructed by the ministries of education in the Soviet republics and are submitted to the individual school district authorities. The type, form, and purpose…

The Alberta High School Social Studies Achievement Tests are described in terms of the procedures used for test construction and analysis of the norming data. The test construction is explained according to a model for the values clarification process in the social studies, and the evaluation models appropriate for assessing the values…

In September 1984, the Chinese government asked the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank to assist the officials of the Chinese Ministry of Education in thinking through some policy options for examinations and standardized testing. This document summarizes the descriptions of testing programs and advice provided to these Chinese…

The Canadian Education Association sponsored a study to review and synthesize the literature on student evaluation; investigate changes in goals and methods; and make recommendations for improvement. Interviews were conducted in six provinces with administrative personnel, principals, and teachers. Employers and post-secondary institutions, as…

This report presents the results and sample items of a reading test and a mathematics test administered to Year 5 and Year 7 primary level students in 1989 in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Primary Assessment Program (PAP) monitors achievement in English and Mathematics in urban schools. All students in Years 5 and 7 are tested in…

When the nation of Pakistan was first created, school entrance and civil service examinations were administered in a foreign language--English. A major concern is that enrollment in primary education only increased from 17 percent in 1947 to 48 percent in 1983, with stil a very high dropout rate. National and province-wide boards of education were…

Survey data were analyzed from 14- and 17-year-old Israeli students--1,990 ninth graders and 2,000 twelfth graders, respectively--involved in the Second International Science Study. The effects of ethnic origin (Afro-Asian versus European/American) and gender on high school student achievement, interest/motivation, attitudes, and self-concept…

Examining testing practices in other countries can help formulate ideas and issues in establishing a national assessment system in the United States. Based on recent reports by the Office of Technology and Assessment and the National Endowment for the Humanities, this digest provides an overview of the national examinations in several European…

Pertinent research studies, legislative documents, labor market agreements, official reports, and governmental decisions on issues concerning vocational education and training (VET) in Sweden were analyzed in an effort to evaluate the state of coordination of VET in Sweden and the effectiveness of its National Training Board. The findings of the…

In June 1989, third, sixth, and ninth graders in Alberta (Canada) were administered standardized tests in English, Social Studies, and Science, respectively. This report presents results of these tests at each grade level and by gender, with comparative data from 1985. Data for 31,998 third graders (English), 29,918 sixth graders (social studies),…

Intended for teachers, this document provides curriculum specifications for the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30 in Alberta, Canada. Introductory information (1) indicates the approximate time to be devoted to teaching various components of the language arts, the relative importance of concepts and skills, and priorities for instruction…

Intended for teachers, this document provides curriculum specifications for the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 33 in Alberta, Canada. Introductory information (1) indicates the approximate time to be devoted to teaching various components of the language arts, the relative importance of concepts and skills, and priorities for instruction…

Compulsory province-wide grade 12 examinations, administered in Alberta since 1906, were dropped in 1973; teachers were given the responsibility of assigning final grades. To assess the quality of education since then, a 1976 survey examined: (1) current grade 12 evaluation policies and practices; (2) whether or not grading has changed in the past…

The conference was planned to appeal to a diverse audience and was not centered on a single unifying theme. It was divided into three sessions. Session I was comprised of two presentations which focused on measurement problems at the preschool, early childhood, and preadolescent levels: Measurement of Cognitive Abilities at the Preschool and Early…