Assessments come in many forms in part because they serve many purposes, and those purposes often vary by the stakeholders they support. Students, parents, teachers, and school, district and state leaders may all be end users of the information provided by various assessments. This brief supports state leaders' understanding of assessments by…

The 2007 reauthorization of Head Start requires Head Start programs to use child assessments and developmental screeners that are developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate, as well as valid and reliable in the language in which they are used. This can be a challenge, since very few child assessment tools are developed or tested…

An analysis was made of quality ratings of elementary level standardized tests. Applying multidimensional scaling to intercorrelations of quality ratings, it was found that the criterion of content and construct validity was a central element in the evaluation of elementary tests. In addition, several types of validity and reliability were found…

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…

Questions often raised about intelligence tests are discussed: (1) the definition of intelligence; (2) the definition of intelligence quotient; (3) the kinds of tests available; (4) validity; (5) fairness to minority groups; (6) use made of test results; (7) differences in results among various intelligence tests; (8) differences in scores using…

The relationship between the Instructional Process, Instructional Objectives, and Assessment Tasks, identified at the School City of Gary, Indiana, necessitate an effective testing program. Four characteristics perceived crucial to a sound program were: (1) The program should be continuous, (2) The testing program should be comprehensive, (3)…

The objectives of this booklet are to provide suggestions, procedures, and rules of thumb to aid the evaluator in using achievement tests in program evaluation. It also discusses some of the theories underlying the procedures for developing and selecting achievement tests and interpreting their results. Each of the six chapters offers advice on…

Most of the information in this booklet is useful for both formative and summative evaluations. The booklet offers information to help the evaluator develop skills in designing and using instruments to measure affective objectives or attitudes. The chapters cover: (1) an introduction to the measurement of attitudes and attitude change; (2)…

When a child takes a standardized test measuring ability or achievement, the results of that test may well determine the kind of education he is going to get. When school personnel select certain tests, administer them, and assign students to groups according to their scores on these tests, are they doing it in such a way that the end results are…

The document is a handbook, designed to assist directors, teachers, and counselors in adult basic education (ABE) and high school equivalency programs to plan an overall testing program by offering how-to-do-it ideas in layman terms. It was developed by a group of experienced ABE practitioners to improve testing efforts in adult education programs…