In the United States System of Education the growth of student evaluations from 1973 to 1993 has increased from 29% to 86% which in turn has increased the importance of student evaluations on faculty retention, tenure, and promotion. However, the impact student evaluations have had on student academic development generates complex educational…

This article describes and reviews the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level General Paper (GP) examination. As a written test that is administered to preuniversity students, the GP examination is internationally recognised and accepted by universities and employers as proof of English competence. In this article, the…

Examines the CUNY-WAT program and questions many aspects of it, especially the choice and phrasing of topics. (FL)

Elaborates on and responds to challenges of direct writing assessment. Speculates on future directions in writing assessment. Suggests that, if writing instructors accept that writing is a multidimensional, situational construct that fluctuates across a wide variety of contexts, then they must also respect the complexity of teaching and testing…

Responses to a sample test were simulated for examinees under free-response and multiple-choice formats. Test score sets were correlated with randomly generated sets of unit-normal measures. The extent of superiority of free response tests was sufficiently small so that other considerations might justifiably dictate format choice. (Author/DWH)

Compares the features, learning outcomes tested, reliability, viability, and cost effectiveness of essay tests with those of interpretive tests used in training programs. A case study illustrating how an essay test was converted to an interpretive test and pilot tested is included to illustrate the advantages of interpretive testing. (MBR)

A "modified essay examination" was used to help teach and to assess clinical problem-solving skills with 11 first trimester doctoral students. This examination provided a paper-and-pencil simulation of problems encountered in case management. Students were required to generate hypotheses, formulate questions, discuss issues, and make…

Two alternatives to traditional item analysis and reliability estimation procedures are considered for determining the difficulty, discrimination, and reliability of optional items on essay and other tests. A computer program to compute these measures is described, and illustrations are given. (SLD)

The third administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short preface, the first…

The fourth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short index of previous…

The fifth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a short index of previous…

The sixth administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a preface and short index of previous volumes, the first section of the report contains a…

The seventh administration of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, is analyzed in this report. After a preface and short index…

The eighth and ninth administrations of the California State University and Colleges Freshman English Equivalency Examination, a test consisting of an objective examination graded by the Educational Testing Service and an essay examination scored by California State University and College faculty, are analyzed in this report. After a preface and…

Recommends including essay questions on state economics examinations to prevent misclassification of students. Briefly reviews the literature arguing that certain groups of students do poorly on multiple choice tests. Discusses California's experience with adopting a combined-format type test. (MJP)