Describes a method for making standardized test results more useful for teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents by providing information on the test content actually mastered by the student and on the student's individual development over time, as well as providing traditional numerical and norm-referenced scores. (PGD)

This booklet provides parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers with information about achievement testing which is relevant to their needs. The first section presents an overview of the current market for standardized achievement tests and provides key definitions, distinctions between ability and achievement testing, comparisons of…

Examines the sources of legal policy challenged by critics of the Committee on the General Aptitude Test Battery report. Indicates solid legal precedent for "burden shifting" to the employer when employment practice adversely affects a protected class. Finds that critics attack what is simply a description of established social policy.…

Reviews the Standard Assessment Tasks used to evaluate pupil performance relative to the National Curriculum in England and Wales. Asserts that the system of assigning students to one of 10 levels of attainment is criterion-referenced, whereas the test is norm-referenced. (CFR)

In response to growing frustration over the lack of information about the national effectiveness of the Chapter 1 program, Congress enacted the Education Amendments of 1974. Section 151 of the Amendments directed the U.S. Office of Education to develop evaluation models that would allow school district data to be aggregated to provide national…

This report focuses on the achievement in basic skill areas attained by participants in compensatory education activities in New York State, which has established the priority areas of reading and mathematics. Over 200,000 pupils participated in Chapter 1 reading programs, and over 86,000 participated in Chapter 1 mathematics programs. Ten tables…

This report summarizes test results from all phases of the Dallas Independent School District testing program at a very global level. District achievement in 1981-82 can be viewed as a general improvement over that observed in 1980-81 which in turn marked a major improvement over preceding years. Appreciable gains were noted particularly among the…

The Metropolitan Achievement Test scores for Boston, Massachusetts, have improved from 1987 to 1988, with scores for 8 grades matching or exceeding the 50th percentile as established in 1986. Reading scores improved over the previous year in seven grades. Yet this "good news" provides little information about real reading skills or…

A dual screening device for teacher preparation programs was mandated by the Texas legislature in 1981. The two requirements included passing an entrance examination upon application to a teacher education program, and passing a proficiency examination upon completion of the program. The state must produce competent, well-prepared teachers; train…

Some of the major findings of CSE's (Center for the Study of Evaluation) Test Use in Schools Project are synthesized and interpreted. The Project incorporated fieldwork and survey techniques to answer questions about the kinds of tests teachers administer in their classrooms, the kinds of information teachers need from tests to make decisions…

This report deals with a variety of ways that have been, or could be, used to interpret the scales used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Policymakers, researchers, and other users of assessment results need to understand the methods used for reporting NAEP. Having a reference is particularly important as the methods of…