The process of giving official acknowledgment to formal, informal and non-formal prior learning is commonly labelled as assessment, accreditation or recognition of prior learning (APL), representing a practice that is expanding in higher education in many countries. This paper focuses specifically on the assessment part of APL, which undoubtedly…

There is no conflict between interpretation of criterion-referenced tests, interpretation of norm referenced tests, and the SAT, nor should on be thought superior to the other in some sense. Each should supplement the other. (Author/PG)

In this interview, Leon Kamin, a prominent psychologist, rejects the theory that intelligence is transmitted by heredity. He deplores the practice of finding scientific data to support political policies, and he challenges that standardized tests-as they are now used-create social harm. (Editor/PG)

The American College Testing Program (ACT) was founded as an inviolate public trust, and operates as a nonprofit corporation governed by educational representatives from individual states or regions and a Board of Trustees. A fundamental goal of the program is to exercise educational leadership by conducting testing, information-gathering,…

Rating scales are a typical method for evaluating a student's performance in outcomes assessment. The analysis of the quality of information from rating scales poses special measurement problems when researchers work with faculty in their development. Generalizability measurement theory offers a set of techniques for estimating errors or…

This study examined the effects of two variations of the Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD) on university students. STAD is a system of cooperative learning which features small heterogeneous teams of 4-6 members who tutor each other on the material in the course and prepare each other for weekly quizzes. Students take the quizzes…

Evaluation of the final examination should be part of the course evaluation and should include student perceptions of the exam's nature and the questions' quality. The final examination experience of two groups of undergraduate and graduate students are considered. (MSE)

Considers the need for and status of assessment literacy for teachers. The article examines whether teachers need to assess, whether there are preservice assessment courses, what assessment courses should teach, what topics are covered in other courses, what is happening with assessment in the schools, and what is needed. (SM)

Some little-understood facts about standardized test scores and how they are reported and interpreted are explained. In particular, the practice of score equating ensures that different test forms have comparable scoring. This and other practices are designed to enhance the equity of testing. (MSE)

This document is an English-language abstract (appropriately 1,500 words) of a thesis answering the arguments against adopting the tests from the national Educational Test Research Institute (ETRI). The author gives an account of the committees on selection methods in his own university and also analyzes responses to an opinion survey conducted on…

Various combinations of nonlinear transformations were applied to responses to a clinical performance evaluation instrument that uses a four-point behaviorally anchored scale. The factorial structure of the 15 items constituting the evaluation form was minimally affected by the transformations, suggesting that parametric statistics can be applied…

Assigning grades is an integral part of social work education. However, social work educators must decide whether to use norm-referenced or criterion-referenced measurements to grade exams and other assignments. This paper presents arguments for grading with both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measurements. The benefits of…

The objectives, instruction, and evaluation in health professions course were studied by an evaluation approach to determine the degree of congruence among the three components. During the three years studied there were shifts in course content emphasis and yearly variations in the content tested. (Author/MLW)

Discusses convergent tests and divergent students, examining why there are so many divergencies in students' interpretation of tests of reading comprehension used in college English-as-a-Second-Language classes. After discussing factors affecting divergency, the paper concludes that portfolios, compiled and graded after discussing errors with…

College teachers often use norm-referenced classroom tests which are too easy for distinguishing adequately among levels of student achievement, yet they are reluctant to adopt more difficult tests. We explored the basis for current practices concerning test difficulty through informal interviews and questionnaires completed by faculty members and…