Presents responses of eight teachers concerning the effects of mandated testing. Describes how the teachers cope with the problems raised by mandated tests. (RS)

Describes how the Allentown, Pennsylvania, public school district uses district-wide final examinations (along with some class-specific test items designed by teachers) to assess secondary school programs, provide "feedback" to teachers, and evaluate student mastery of learning objectives. (MCG)

Reports results of a 1979 national survey of test usage in grades 7-12. Results indicated schools continued to give tests and desired to do more testing, at least for career guidance, if funds were available. Found the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery was the most popular career guidance test. (Author/JAC)

The Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests) are described. Developed in 1942 for military personnel who had not graduated from high school, the GED Tests enabled veterans to qualify for jobs or enter college. More than 10 million persons have earned GED Test diplomas since 1971. There are five parts to the GED Tests: (1) Writing…

The Maryland State Department of Education issued a request for proposals to develop a score reporting system for the Maryland Functional Testing Program. RMC Research Corporation conducted a literature review of extant literature and developed a national survey of non-norm-referenced test score reporting practices. This comprehensive analysis of…

Project Basic is a program developed by the Maryland State Department of Education to assure that students attain basic skills in a variety of areas. Two levels of tests are given in grade 7 to monitor progress, and in grades 9 to 12 to determine whether each student has met the state minimum competency level. Students must pass the higher level…

Compares examination practices at the end of secondary schooling in England, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Japan, People's Republic of China, Sweden, Soviet Union, and the United States. Considers the present status of these national examination systems, their alteration by social and educational changes, and their shaping of educational…

Explains the new format of the University Entrance and Bursary Examinations for New Zealand. Points out that open-ended questions based on field work carry the same weight as those questions referred to as internal assessment. Concludes that these types of questions allow the teacher to cover a greater range of topics. (GG)

This paper explores the federal role in the development of state accountability systems for secondary school achievement. The first section of the paper examines seven suggested proximate causes for the poor performance of U.S. secondary school students. This section concludes that the causes for the relatively poor performance of U.S. secondary…

A case study in a developing country raises issues about the use of tests for educational selection. Issues concerning secondary school admission in developing countries have counterparts in admission criteria for higher education in developed nations. However, one case study of one system cannot provide definitive conclusions for others. (SLD)

Looks at school-based assessment within a norm-referenced framework which replaced external examinations for all year levels of high school in Queensland (Australia) beginning in 1973. Suggests that changes have made little advance, have used an enormous amount of resources, but have acted as an impetus to examine assessment and curriculum. (PK)

Schools that are concerned with evaluating their programs need more than just the average scaled assessment scores from standardized tests. To help schools, the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program produces school and district reports that contain the stories behind the averages. These reports describe the kind of students who took the…

The use of standardized testing in secondary schools (with students between 10 and 19 years old) is described for four European countries: (1) England; (2) West Germany; (3) the Netherlands; and (4) Sweden. In the decentralized English system, several published standardized tests are available; they are used less at the secondary level than in…

This guide to the ninth-grade French test for Alberta students describes the testing program, provides examples of the type of test to be administered in June 1990, and includes an answer key. Information about the testing program includes general objectives, an overview of the program type, students exempted from the test, testing for students…

The purpose of this research was to construct tests that could be used to support various decisions in the educational system in Tanzania. Emphasis was placed on decisions made at the end of primary education, and at the end of four years of secondary education. (Author/BW)