This document describes the breadth of the research that the ETS (Educational Testing Service) Research & Development division is conducting in 2010. This portfolio will be updated in early 2011 to reflect changes to existing projects and new projects that were added after this document was completed. The research described in this portfolio falls…

Background information about the first mathematics examinations given at Harvard in the academic year 1854-55 is given. The two instructors, Pierce and Eliot, responsible for the innovation are discussed. (MK)

The association of anxiety and medical students' performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Part I Examination was investigated. The Debilitating Anxiety Scale was completed by 62 second-year medical students before taking the NBME Examination. Debilitating test anxiety has been described as anxiety that interferes with test…

The president of the Educational Testing Service gives a history and an overview of the organization. (IRT)

The profile of American education in the twentieth century, especially at the secondary and postsecondary undergraduate levels, is mirrored in the chronology of College Board policies and programs over its 75-year history. After a review of the first 75 years, speculation is made on the next 25 years and the shapes that may be taken by American…

This study is part of a continuing search for measures of divergent thinking and for better predictors of performance in occupational areas depending on such ways of thinking. Traditional predictors of college performance, i.e., high school GPA and tests of verbal and quantitative aptitude have always worked much better estimating success in…

The Regents Testing Program of the University of Georgia system establishes minimal standards of literacy for graduation from any of the 30 institutions in the system. The testing covers language skills basic to all of the academic areas, and instructors in the composition courses must follow a prescribed syllabus that requires a certain number of…

Discusses the role of interactive computer-assisted testing (ICAT) as an adjunct to traditional methods of instruction in an introductory educational psychology course for students enrolled in a teacher education program. (Author/RAO)

The role of the state government in higher education assessment is clearly expanding as both the state's interest and investment in higher education grows. Currently, patterns of state involvement vary widely--from indirect incentive programs to direct legislation or regulatory action. Institutional assessment and the resulting reform must be…

A discussion of those examinations which mark one's advance from one educational level to the next, and those which are required for attainment of an academic degree. The topics addressed are test "infidelity," lack of validity, and their harmfulness on several levels. Some remedies are suggested. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Reviews the process whereby Metropolitan State College (Colorado) developed a series of recommendations concerning the assessment of student learning. Discusses problems encountered and offers a sampling to show the style and detail of the recommendations. (DMM)

The educational assessment movement holds considerable promise for encouraging college faculty to exercise collective responsibility to improve the quality of learning. Current efforts toward improving higher education include the Association of American Colleges' report, "Integrity in the College Curriculum"; William J. Bennett's…

Accrediting associations assess colleges in order to find out what has been accomplished, and to find out how it might be better accomplished. Assessment of educational outcomes can be a useful way to demonstrate the success of alternative means. However, accrediting agencies do not rely exclusively on outcome measures, since they only assess what…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is a statewide program designed to ensure that all students attending public colleges and universities have the basic reading, mathematics, and writing skills necessary to perform effectively at the college level. All entering first-time freshmen are required to take the TASP test, which has a basic skills…

The value-added approach to the assessment of student outcomes examines actual or inferred changes in students' performance over time. It also attempts to separate the net effects of instruction from previous ability or simple maturation. Others may have different definitions of this concept, and this vagueness causes problems. Suggested ways to…