In 2016, the Office of the Higher Education Commission issued a directive requiring all higher education institutions in Thailand to have their students take a standardized English proficiency test. According to the directive, the test's results had to align with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). In response to this…

Chinese higher education is experiencing rapid development and growth. With tremendous resources invested in higher education, policy makers have requested more direct evidence of student learning. However, assessment tools that can be used to measure college-level learning are scarce in China. To mitigate this situation, we translated the…

Critics of standardized testing have recommended replacing standardized tests with more authentic assessment measures, such as classroom assignments, projects, or portfolios rated by a panel of raters using common rubrics. Little research has examined the consistency of scores across multiple authentic assignments or the implications of this…

Reviews commercially available instruments to assess students' study skills/habits/behavior, finding that none completely meets the standards set by the American Psychological Association or the American Educational Research Association. Offers guidance on selecting and applying these instruments in college settings. (DMM)

Studies in five senior medical school classes at Southern Illinois University investigated whether using multiple standardized patients to simulate the same case in postclerkship medical student evaluation affects the measure's reliability. Results of three studies show little or no effect on reliability of total, checklist, or written test…

Three virtues of standardized achievement tests which have enhanced their usefulness are discussed, and three fallacies, all the result of overenthusiasm, that have encouraged the misuse of test scores are examined.

A study examined the likelihood that the oral examination's outcome would be the same regardless of which four of the approximately 100 examiners made up the examining team. Reliability was found to be high, but further steps are being taken to increase it. (Author/MSE)

Four years of experience with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) following an eight-week surgical clerkship (n=356 students) are reported, including data on mean student performance across years, reliability coefficients, and generalizability. Implications for improvement and development of OSCE are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A study using five Southern Illinois University senior medical school classes (n=350 students) investigated whether having a standardized patient simulate a case repeatedly in postclerkship medical student evaluation affects the measure's reliability. Results suggest that repeated simulation had little or no effect on intercase reliability of…

Scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test and a new test of reading and writing, the California State University and Colleges English Placement Test, were examined to determine if unique properties for either test could be found. Both tests seem to be measuring the same underlying ability with few unique properties. (Author)

Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) Form M was constructed as a replacement for AFOQT Form L in Fiscal Year 1974. The new form serves the same purposes as its predecessor and possesses basically the same characteristics. It yields Pilot, Navigator-Technical, Officer Quality, Verbal, and Quantitative composite scores. Three sets of conversion…

The legislative history of legislation concerning disclosure of standardized college admissions test items is reviewed, the effect of existing laws in California and New York is outlined, and public policy and legal questions leading to and resulting from the legislation are discussed. (MSE)

The Standardized Test of Essential Writing Skills (STEWS) has been developed as a valid and reliable means of assessing expository writing skill. Studies concerning the reliability and validity of the STEWS are presented and their implications for use of the STEWS are discussed. (Author/DWH)

Examines the limitations of standardized test scores as predictors of success in college writing courses. Supports the selective use of writing samples as an additional placement tool. (MM)

Provides information on statistical data and jargon so that English department members can more confidently and responsibly identify the inevitable weaknesses and limitations of both tests of writing ability and the research on them. (RL)