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Cannell, John Jacob – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
A Friends for Education (FFE) survey revealed that no state is below the norm at the elementary school level on six nationally normed commercially available achievement tests. Tests use a norm group from the past for comparison, but FFE suspects that inaccurate initial norms and teaching the test may cause high scores. (SLD)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys

Phillips, Gary W.; Finn, Chester E., Jr. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
Officials of the United States Department of Education conclude that the pervasive "above average" achievement reported by J. J. Cannell (1988) results from a combination of testing practices and procedures among school testing programs. Causative factors of this paradox, dubbed the "Lake Wobegon Phenomenon," are discussed.…
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys

Drahozal, Edward C.; Frisbie, David A. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
Representatives of the Riverside Publishing Company discuss the "Lake Wobegon Phenomenon," the reported "above average" achievement of most elementary schools nationwide that was discussed by J. J. Cannell (1988) of the Friends for Education. More appropriate use of normative comparisons and more complete reporting of test…
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys

Williams, Paul L. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
The time-bound nature of test norms is discussed in light of the report of J. J. Cannell (1988) that a large majority of elementary schools report above average achievement on national achievement tests. Generally increasing levels of achievement are deemed to be responsible for this phenomenon. (SLD)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys

Stonehill, Robert M. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
Despite the skepticism of J. J. Cannell (1988) that commercial test scores reveal much about the real achievement level of students, there is ample evidence that at least some of the gains observed on standardized tests are legitimate. Standardized scores should be greeted with healthy skepticism when high, but taken very seriously when low. (SLD)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys
Lenke, Joanne M.; Beck, Michael D. – New Directions for Testing and Measurement, 1980
This chapter discusses units of measurement, relates types of scales and norms to the purpose for testing, looks at types of test data typically reported, identifies the primary users of test information, looks at limitations of scales and norms, and looks at the interaction between user and data. (Author/RL)
Descriptors: Criterion Referenced Tests, Elementary Secondary Education, Norm Referenced Tests, Scaling
Shannon, Thomas A. – Journal of the New York State School Boards Association, Inc., 1978
The decline in scholastic aptitude test ( SAT) scores does not signify that the quality of education is lower. To interpret this decline requires an understanding of the testing process, changing racial and sex mix of the test makers, changing lifestyle of youth, and the increase in the number of students taking the SAT. (Author/AM)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Criterion Referenced Tests, Educational Testing, Norm Referenced Tests

Lenke, Joanne M.; Keene, John M. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1988
In response to J. J. Cannell's (1988) discussion of the reported "above average" achievement of the vast majority of public school systems nationwide, the nature of national norms is discussed. The public must be better informed about the interpretation of test results. (SLD)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, National Norms, National Surveys
Cook, Ann; And Others – 1979
Organized as a question-and-answer booklet, this parents' guide explains scores on standardized reading achievement tests. Examples illustrate the meaning of certain grade equivalent scores. The grade equivalent method is described as a poor way to report scores; raw scores, percentiles, and stanine ranges are discussed as alternatives. The…
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Grade Equivalent Scores, Norm Referenced Tests, Parent School Relationship
Barta, Maryann B.; And Others – 1976
This paper delineates several problems which arise when criterion-referenced test results are used to evaluate the effects of a specific educational treatment. Focus is on these topics: (1) the aggregation of individual students' data on objectives, (2) the sensitivity of the instrument to instruction, (3) the interpretation of…
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Comparative Analysis, Criterion Referenced Tests, Educational Testing
Moran, Roberto E. – 1974
Recommendations and criticisms are made which might result in a more reliable assessment of the Puerto Rican child's intelligence as measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Many of these recommendations and criticisms involve typographical and grammatical errors, incorrect language usage, difficulty of item sequence and…
Descriptors: Children, Disadvantaged, Intelligence Tests, Non English Speaking

Hoover, H. D. – Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 1984
The author addresses issues raised by Burket (TM 510 174) about the Iowa Test of Basic Skills scaling procedures. Further reasons for his criticism of Thurstone scale scores and item response theory scale scores for elementary school achievement tests are given. (BS)
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Elementary Education, Equated Scores, Grade Equivalent Scores
Cannell, John Jacob – 1990
Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced test results are frequently manipulated by public school administrators to show artificial achievement gains, rather than actual achievement gains. This paper suggests remedies for the various testing practices that contribute to artificial achievement gains, including improvements in the areas of: test…
Descriptors: Accountability, Administrator Responsibility, Criterion Referenced Tests, Educational Legislation
Noggle, Nelson L. – 1991
At the present time the American educational system seems caught in a squeeze play between the historical need for tests that are simple to administer and understand versus the current demand for tests that are respected as thorough measures of the kind of learning needed in a competitive and changing world. Many of the misuses of test data arise…
Descriptors: Achievement Tests, Educational Assessment, Educational Change, Elementary Secondary Education
Burstein, Leigh – 1990
This paper contends that, apparently, the patterns of above-norm performance that J. Cannell (1987) reported exist, although the extremity of his "Lake Wobegon" effect is perhaps overstated. The use of outdated test norms and other practices has been identified as a partial explanation for the reporting of "above-average"…
Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Achievement Tests, Elementary Secondary Education, National Norms