When administering an in-class exam, a common decision that confronts every instructor is whether the exam format should be closed book or open book. The present review synthesizes research examining the effect of administering closed-book or open-book assessments on long-term learning. Although the overall effect of assessment format on learning…

This document presents issues that should be considered before student test results are used in evaluations of teacher performance. As the stakes attached to student test results have increased, so has the need for educators to make informed decisions about the types of tests used to generate data for these purposes and the way student test…

While federal law requires students to be tested in math, English-language arts and science in particular grades, states are still struggling to mount the resources and expertise necessary to fully implement college and career readiness standards, let alone new assessments aligned to these higher standards. New assessments are not only more…

This report discusses the most relevant issues concerning student standardised testing in which there are no-stakes for students ("standardised testing") through a literature review and a review of the trends in standardised testing in OECD countries. Unlike standardised tests in which there are high-stakes for students, no-stakes implies that…

Authors have found that the test-like atmosphere of undivided attention and high motivation extant during short quizzes provides the instructor with a unique opportunity to enhance learning. (Editor)

A FOLLOWUP STUDY WAS REPORTED THAT ENLARGED THE SCOPE OF THE AUTHOR'S PREVIOUS STUDY OF THE OPPOSITE-FORM APPROACH USED BY STUDENTS IN TEST AND MEASUREMENT COURSES. THE STUDY HAD THREE PURPOSES--(1) TO INVESTIGATE THE RELIABILITIES OF OPPOSITE-FORM INVENTORIES, (2) TO CROSS VALIDATE OPPOSITE-FORM INVENTORIES, AND (3) TO STUDY THE PATTERNING OF…

Describes a series of videotapes prepared for counselor training on the subject of using tests and test results. (PC)

Suggestions for change include development of new kinds of tests, higher standards for both tests and test users, and collaboration by test authors, publishers, and counselors within AMEG in an effort to prevent a complete dissolution of the marriage between tests and the counseling process. (Author)

"Classroom Assessment in Action" clarifies the multi-faceted roles of measurement and assessment and their applications in a classroom setting. Comprehensive in scope, Shermis and Di Vesta explain basic measurement concepts and show students how to interpret the results of standardized tests. From these basic concepts, the authors then…

The recommended procedure for achievement test selection is presented. Following a review of some fundamental definitions of statistical properties of achievement tests (validity, reliability, and norms), major considerations to be applied in selecting achievement tests are discussed. These considerations are: (1) the characteristics of the school…

A series of questions designed to challenge school administrators to reconsider the purposes, selection, use, and interpretation of tests and test results in their school programs. (Author/DN)

Analyzes the uses that can be made from test data and the influences such data can have on communication with communities, in the evaluation of school's effectiveness, and student's placement. (Author/RK)

This paper presents guidelines for valid and effective test preparation and presentation. Working on the assumption that teacher secrecy about tests and the subsequent student test-fear are pointless and harmful, this paper outlines some tools for test preparation, such as pretests, teacher file cards as to items covered in class and clearly…

This study inquired into the effect of testing on foreign language learning. The main question was: Do tests of communicative proficiency, when administered in lieu of currently prevailing discrete-point item tests, further the student's spontaneous communicative ability? Discussion of results indicates uses for both types of tests. (CHK)