Kentucky is reintroducing the norm-referenced, multiple-choice test. Students will be given both performance and multiple-choice tests, beginning in spring 1997. Kean believes this multiple-measures approach is a common-sense way to provide the measurement-driven accountability that most states require. Neill deplores multiple-choice testing and…

A wave of criticism has been leveled at standardized achievement tests of basic skills. Part of the debate concerns the types of tests administered, such as the Standardized/Norm-Referenced tests, Criterion-Referenced tests, Minimum Competency tests, National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, alternatives to standardized tests, IQ tests,…

This handbook was designed as a referenced guide to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) testing program. Many year-round schools have been created in the district. This has necessitated adjustments in the testing schedule so that all LAUSD students are tested in the same time frame in their educational programs. The handbook was…

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…

The approach to assessment taken by the Colorado Springs (Colorado) Public Schools is outlined. Colorado Springs has taken a position similar to that advocated by the National Council on Educational Standards, that of multiple means of assessment applied in a dynamic and responsive manner. This approach in Colorado Springs is called Purpose Driven…

The statewide student assessment programs of the 15 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in the 1987-88 school year are described. Individual summaries of the testing programs provide information on the types of tests used in the SREB states--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,…

This document provides basic information about the Statewide Student Assessment System in New Mexico. There are four components of the Statewide Student Assessment System that are guided by the State Department of Education. Each component serves a specific purpose and targets specific grade levels. The purpose of the reading assessment of grades…

This summary report provides information about three of New Mexico's statewide assessments in 1997-1998. In spring 1998, the CTBS5/Terra Nova Survey Plus achievement test was administered to approximately 65,000 students in grades 4, 6, and 8 as part of the New Mexico Achievement Assessment Program. With three exceptions, the median national…

The requirement that home schooled students score at or above the 40th percentile on a nationally standardized test runs counter to several widely accepted principles of measurement. A single score should not be used alone in decision making, and there is no evidence that this is a valid use of the test. In addition, the 40th percentile is not an…

The measurement dilemmas involved in assessing the national educational goals established by the President and governors at the 1989 education summit are discussed. The first and most important choice is what to assess and whether to align assessment to the vision of curriculum reform or to the curriculum that students are actually experiencing.…

To answer several questions about the Ohio statewide high school proficiency testing program, correlations of student performance on the ninth-grade proficiency test with other measures of reading and mathematics were studied for approximately 4,600 students in the Cleveland (Ohio) City School District. The performance of students from higher…

Results from the various student testing programs of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) are summarized for 1991-92. Some 23,000 students in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 took the criterion-referenced Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) in October of 1991. The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS), required…

Results of the fifth year of testing by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1980, objective-referenced tests in mathematics and reading were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) in mathematics, reading,…

Colorado conducts an assessment program to provide a statewide profile of student achievement. Results for fall 1988 and fall 1991 are presented in a series of tables. A standardized, nationally norm-referenced achievement test, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, was administered in 1988 to students in grades 4, 7, and 10, and again to the same…

Two focus groups of test and measurement experts were held to explore the use of out-of-level testing for students with disabilities. The participants (n=17) included state and federal level assessment personnel, test company employees, and university professors. A content analysis of the narrative results indicated that there was no clear…