Guidelines for test developers and users are provided to insure that construction and selection of test instruments are conducted fairly. In addition to development and selection, issues of interpretation of scores; provision of information to test takers; and prevention of test bias based on race, gender, or ethnicity are addressed. Twenty-one…

This report analyzes possible causes of current trends in educational achievement and discusses implications for policy. It uses data described in the publication "Trends in Educational Achievement," a Congressional Budget Office study released in April 1986, which assessed data about trends in test scores. This report begins with a…

Lack of independent review process in professional schools and refusal of courts to review errors not resulting from arbitrariness, caprice, or bad faith leave student and societal interests in accurate grading inadequately protected. (Journal availability: University of the Pacific, 3201 Donner Way, Sacramento, CA 95817.) (MSE)

Surveys recent judicial examinations of educational practices, considers the role of psychological testing in efforts to block desegregation, and evaluates legislation concerning the testing process. Available from Maryland Law Review, Inc., University of Maryland School of Law, 500 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201. (Author/IRT)

With the intent of spurring discussion and raising important issues about the topic of test standards, this circular serves primarily as a resource document for member organizations of the National Consortium on Testing (NCT). Additionally, it identifies the broad changes which have evolved since 1953 regarding ethical and technical standards for…

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…

Advocates for minority students charge that special education placement of racially or culturally different students is unfair because the tests, standardized on white, middle-class children, do not accurately reflect the learning rate or potential achievement level of others. For this reason, reliance on IQ tests for placement of minority…

This document discusses the Assessment Policy Committee established to design and supervise the conduct of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and describes the legislation supporting the Committee. It proposes that the governance of NAEP be the responsibility of a board composed largely of educational policy makers, and those…

The background out of which "truth in testing" legislation arose is reviewed in this report, which also describes existing state and federal testing legislation, details arguments raised in hearings on the legislation, analyzes the legal issues raised, and provides a framework for simplifying the arguments and gathering more information.…

The OCR Guidelines (Vocational Education Programs Guidelines for Eliminating Discrimination and Denial of Service on the Basis of Race, Color, National Origin, Sex and Handicap) are not the result of new legislation, but are new regulations for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504…

This amicus curiae was filed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the case of the United States of America and South Carolina Education Association v. South Carolina, which involved the validity of South Carolina's use of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE). The NTE, a battery of achievement tests designed to measure the academic…

To assist administrators, teachers, and other school personnel in understanding and implementing the various components of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) program, this manual details the ISTEP program, a broad-based achievement testing plan providing Indiana schools with a means of assessing their overall…

This amicus curiae was filed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the case of the United States of America and North Carolina Association of Educators v. North Carolina, which involved the validity of North Carolina's use of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE). The NTE, a battery of achievement tests designed to measure the academic…