This report discusses the most relevant issues concerning student standardised testing in which there are no-stakes for students ("standardised testing") through a literature review and a review of the trends in standardised testing in OECD countries. Unlike standardised tests in which there are high-stakes for students, no-stakes implies that…

"Classroom Assessment in Action" clarifies the multi-faceted roles of measurement and assessment and their applications in a classroom setting. Comprehensive in scope, Shermis and Di Vesta explain basic measurement concepts and show students how to interpret the results of standardized tests. From these basic concepts, the authors then…

The recommended procedure for achievement test selection is presented. Following a review of some fundamental definitions of statistical properties of achievement tests (validity, reliability, and norms), major considerations to be applied in selecting achievement tests are discussed. These considerations are: (1) the characteristics of the school…

Analyzes the uses that can be made from test data and the influences such data can have on communication with communities, in the evaluation of school's effectiveness, and student's placement. (Author/RK)

This paper reports the results of a survey conducted in the spring of l981 that was designed to collect and summarize guidelines on appropriate test use from the various organizations, agencies, and associations involved in standardized educational testing. The primary objective of the study was to learn how these various groups define the issues…

A statement of the major issues surrounding the use of standardized tests in schools is provided, covering the following areas of concern: (1) the major types of standardized tests and how they differ from teacher-made tests; (2) the role of standardized tests in education; (3) administering/scoring standardized tests; (4) interpretation of…

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…

This statement presents the position of and addresses the needs of the professional members of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) divisions and regions. The seven sections discuss: (1) the development of the statement; (2) guidelines for avoiding charges of irresponsible practice; (3) qualifications of test users (those who…

Teacher-selected test level resulted in: (1) most Educable Mentally Retarded students tested responding above chance levels on all subtests of the Metropolitan Achievement Test, (2) reliability coefficients comparable to those of the standardization sample, and (3) moderate to high positive point-biserial correlations for all subtest-level…

Reports on recent changes in examination policy and practice in China, England and Wales, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Identifies and discusses some significant trade-offs arising from the implementation of examination policy. Discusses four nearly universal dilemmas of…

Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests are compared, and norm-referenced tests are found to have inadequacies as a basis for evaluation or instructional improvement. Disadvantages of norm-referenced tests, which measure a student's performance relative to the performance of other students, are: (1) mismatches between local curriculum and…

Specifying the purpose and uses to be made of a test prior to administration is of paramount importance when one considers the time administrators and teachers spend on selecting, developing, administering and scoring tests and the amount of student time required to complete the tests. Determination of how test results will be used should be made…

This is an interpretive manual designed to accompany the Test of Proficiency in English as a Second Language, a comprehensive test assessing production and perception skills in written and spoken English and intended for use in Grades 4-6 in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. The manual is divided into three sections. Section one discusses English…

The twofold objective of this book is to enable the teacher of English to speakers of other languages both to improve his own classroom measures and to make sound assessments of standardized tests which he may from time to time be asked to select, administer, and interpret. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the general purposes and methods of language…

The relationship between the Instructional Process, Instructional Objectives, and Assessment Tasks, identified at the School City of Gary, Indiana, necessitate an effective testing program. Four characteristics perceived crucial to a sound program were: (1) The program should be continuous, (2) The testing program should be comprehensive, (3)…