Old socioeconomic data is useful for defining norm samples since a high degree of stability is demonstrated for census data over a 10-year period. (TA)

While major test publishers randomly select school districts for their national norming studies, a survey of "accepting" and "declining" districts supports the hypothesis that self-selection bias results in overrepresentation of districts which already use a specific publisher's tests or instructional materials. (Author/BW)

Reviews the Anchor Test Study which had two major objectives: to provide a method for translating a child's score on any one of eight widely used standardized reading tests into a score on any of the other tests and to provide new nationally representative norms for each of these eight tests. (Author/BJG)

In assessing the validity of a norm-referenced model used in evaluating large-scale federal educational programs for disadvantaged children, gain estimates were shown as approximately equal with randomized control group model estimates compared by retrospective analyses of two databases. (Author/CM)

Recent results relating to the stability of scores on the Raven Progressive Matrices Test for different subgroups within and between the United Kingdom, United States, and other Western societies are summarized. Despite the continuous increase in scores over time, differences between socioeconomic and ethnic groups remain. (TJH)