A large scale study of local norms that are directly related to the interests of military education counselors is described. In a cooperative effort, the U.S. Armed Forces Institute and the Test Department of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. normed the Adult Basic Learning Examination (ABLE) and validated its utility in predicting success on the…

The necessity for relevance in making and using norms is discussed. Two major points are made (1) norms should yield meaning in terms of the particular purpose for which the testing is done; and (2) legitimate and illegitimate general norms abound in test manuals. These principles are presented as practical guides: (1) avoid unjustified general…

This document presents uniformly collected data for the State of Maine and each of its counties on selected known risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse and the prevalence of substance abuse-related problems. A "Read Me First" section presents the state's approach to prevention. Information is provided on risk and protective factors,…

The purpose of this paper is to promote local norms as a new way of reporting Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results for Miami-Dade County district. The norms would: (1) show a student's relative standing in the district, and (2) show the student's growth compared to similar students. This paper presents questions about local norms,…

Analysis of WISC-R scores of three groups of students indicated the need for local validation and norming before making judgments based upon WISC-R pattern analysis. (CM)

Basic skills achievement test results of pupils in the Philadelphia School District, based upon the February 1979 Philadelphia City-Wide Testing Program involving kindergarten through grade 12, are reported. The city and district performance distributions show the combined percentages of pupils in scoring within various national percentile rank…

Developed as an easy to use reference on test data for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), this report is divided into two sections: analysis of county data and analysis of school data. Features of the report are as follows: (1) a longitudinal analysis of performance of students tested in MCPS in 1976, 1978 and 1980; (2) school results broken…

This report describes important features of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SM-MUSD), providing background information as the district establishes its goals. The analysis shows that SM-MUSD's total revenues are greater than those of similar districts and Los Angeles County on a per-pupil basis but below the revenues of…

Explains to teachers how to give norm tests without having a statistical background or access to a computer. (RB)

The Micronesian Test of English Abilities (MTEA) is a measure of English second language achievement comprised of a listening comprehension section, a structure and vocabulary section, and a reading comprehension section. The original purpose of the test was to determine how well junior high Micronesian students had learned materials studied in…

Presents a rationale for the use of local norms and a procedure, illustrated with an example, for updating a norm group's test score mean and variance. Local norms can be more recent, relevant, and representative for local groups. (Author)

Comments on the article by Marsh and Hau (see record 2003-06802-005), who tested the negative effects of attending academically selective schools; that is, a student will have lowered academic self-concept in a selective school than in a nonselective school, a big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE). The current author suggests that a major problem of…

This paper discussed two innovations in the application of computer technology to vocational counseling in a university: (1) administration and scoring of a vocational interest inventory through the means of a cathode-ray-tube typewriter computer terminal, and (2) the development of the major field of study map (MFM), using local university norms.…

This article describes a technique being used by teachers that can be accomplished without extensive training. The final product identifies employment skills required by local employers and the existence of realistic related areas of employment. (Author/CH)

Compares one school district's data with national data and analyzes what factors reinforce and perpetuate inequitable situations for females in science and mathematics. Provides a model for school districts to conduct self-study of gender equity education issues. (42 references) (Author/MKR)