The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to discuss the variety of factors which should be considered in establishing a testing program; and (2) to summarize some of the basic features of testing programs in Wisconsin public school districts. An effective district-wide testing program should consist of at least the following seven elements:…

This monograph focuses on rating scales and other similar instruments being used in applied rehabilitation settings. The first of two major sections presents a general discussion of rating scales and their use. Specifically, this section includes subparts dealing with (1) reasons for using rating instruments, (2) the types of rating scales, (3)…

These language testing guidelines--grouped according to the five categories of the oral language interview: grammar, comprehension, pronunciation, vocabulary, and language utilization (communicative competence)--are presented for the language proficiency examiner. Brief guidelines for assessment are given for each of five levels of proficiency,…

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…

To help Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter 1 personnel work more effectively with test publishers, a survey was conducted of selected publishers of norm-referenced tests commonly used by Chapter 1 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). The test publishers included: (1) CTB/McGraw-Hill; (2) The Psychological Corporation; (3) the…

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…

The Rasch model was used to compare the grade equivalent scores which students of equal ability would have obtained, had they taken different levels of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Raw scores on items common to levels 9-14 of the ITBS (vocabulary subtest) were obtained from 6,000 students in Dallas, Texas. Rasch scales were used to…

This monograph serves as a nontechnical guide to teachers, counselors, school psychologists, administrators, parents, and others who use the 1974 Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests. The Standards are a concise summary of standards and guidelines for the development, evaluation, interpretation, use, and reporting of information on…

This volume was developed to enable local program personnel to determine the appropriateness of a test in relation to a child. No endorsements are made. For 68 preschool tests, the following information is presented when available: title, whether the test is for screening or verification, bibliographic information, descriptive information,…

This resource guide was designed for teachers and administrators in Arizona school districts to assist them in preparing functional and meaningful programs of student achievement testing. The format of the guide is based on fundamental questions often posed by educators regarding norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing. Particular…

For Title I evaluations, it may be appropriate to test out-of-level; that is, to override publisher's recommendations concerning the difficulty, length, and content appropriate for a particular grade. It is seldom necessary, however, to move more than one grade down. If the mean is substantially higher than the median, then some pupils will have…

Twelve common errors which can invalidate an otherwise sound evaluation are identified, and ways to avoid them are presented. The hazards are: (1) grade-equivalent scores; (2) inappropriate statistical adjustments with nonequivalent control groups; (3) administering norm-referenced tests at inappropriate times of the school year; (4) inappropriate…

This is the second of two volumes developed by Project CONNECT in order to enable local program personnel to determine the appropriateness of a test for a particular child. For 71 preschool tests the following information is presented, when available: title, whether the test is for screening or verification, bibliographic information, descriptive…

This annotated bibliography describes instruments pertaining to smoking attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and correlates. Information concerns test purpose, intended groups, test subdivisions, administration, scoring, interpretation, and standardization. (MS)

To what degree testing can become adaptive is considered in three ways: from a formal methodological perspective; from a human process, stability, perspective; and from a sub-system or component view within an adaptive instructional system (AIS). With the advent of large computer-based training systems, the opportunity to broadly implement…