A statewide survey of ITED testing programs was conducted to provide more useful materials to test users, better services to Iowa high schools, and to enable high schools to improve the effectiveness of their ITED programs. A two-part questionnaire was developed and sent to the testing directors of 429 public and private high schools in November,…

The current status of state testing programs is assessed drawing primarily on information provided by the Educational Testing Service publication, "State Testing Programs, 1973 Revision." Increases in state operated programs are indicated and are probably due to an increase in federal money for testing purposes. Because of possible…

LDA (Learning Disabilities Association) of Minnesota receives many calls and emails regarding testing accommodations for large-scale testing programs. Callers include the test-takers themselves, parents, teachers, counselors, advocates, and an occasional attorney. The standardized tests they ask about include the GED, SAT and ACT (for college…

Data were collected from a number of sources evaluating the performance of elementary and secondary school students in New York State. Comparison of New York students against the other 49 states, and of various regions within New York state, led to the following conclusions. New York state produced a larger number of high-scoring students on…

This is the third in a series of investigations, conducted at five-year intervals, into the testing programs of Michigan school districts. The report opens with general data on testing programs and practices in the form of a tabulation of responses to a survey instrument completed by 84% of the districts that operate a K-12 program. A more…

Statewide achievement testing programs in public schools are examined from a historical perspective over 150 years. Written tests, standardized tests, intelligence tests, and test batteries are considered. A survey of present programs demonstrates a wide variety that is attributable to the ad hoc origins of these programs. (SLD)

In 1982, a survey of California community colleges was conducted to determine which standardized tests were being used at entrance to college for matriculation and/or placement and to ascertain how satisfied users were with the instruments. Surveys were sent to administrators or staff involved with entrance and assessment practices at 106…

In 97 Ohio school districts, 484 teachers and administrators rated their school's standardized testing practices as average or above, compared to school performance in other areas. Highest rated testing practices were related to test quality, pupil records, and understandable scores and reports; lowest rated practice was use of test results to…

This special issue of "Catalyst", entitled Testing Programs in Schools: What's New?, was published jointly by the Nebraska Council of School Administrators and the Nebraska Association for Supervision and Curriculum. The articles emphasize desirability of designing testing programs to meet the information needs of educators and the…

This document is a report to the Delaware State Legislature concerning the results of the Delaware Educational Assessment Program in 1989-90. The Stanford Achievement Test was administered statewide in grades 1 through 8 and grade 11. This administration allowed both national and state comparisons. The average Delaware student performed above the…

A number of political issues are involved in educational testing and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Many school officials are disturbed by the number of tests administered and the information and instructional time lost; they are reluctant to accede to further voluntary testing programs which might duplicate current…

Three fiscal year 1987 deliverables due for the "Toward a National Educational Testing Network: Feasibility Study of Duplex Design" are presented. The study is concerned with implementation of statewide and interstate testing of student attainment. The report includes: (1) a duplex design (DD) review paper discussing the means by which…

A survey to gather information concerning school district testing programs in Pennsylvania is reviewed. The information concerns the commercially produced norm referenced and criterion referenced achievement tests, as well as locally produced achievement tests used in the state's school districts. The Pennsylvania Division of Educational Testing…

This report presents the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) performance results to state officials and the public as required by state law. Compiled in two volumes, TAAS results are aggregated and reported for the state as a whole, for education service centers and individual districts, and in district demographic groupings. This volume…

In 1987, a survey report by J. Cannell was published criticizing state reports based on national standardized testing of elementary school students that indicated that all 50 states were above the national average. This phenomenon--known as the "Lake Wobegon Effect"--is analyzed. Technical problems with the study are considered. (TJH)