Two trends have converged during the past three decades to change the face of public school education in America. First, achievement testing has been greatly expanded in terms of both the quantity of tests available and the number of uses for the information collected from testing. Second, there has been a significant increase in the development…

The growth of educational testing in the Netherlands is reviewed, and the way tests are used in elementary and secondary education is described. Educational testing in the Netherlands has been strongly connected to the existence of the National Institute for Educational Measurement (CITO). (SLD)

Possible future practices in testing are discussed, with a critique of current educational measurement. As standardized achievement tests are used for wide-ranging purposes, there will be increasing reliance on item response theory and national item banks. A national system of monitoring development and use of tests will probably emerge. (SLD)

Development of educational testing in Hungary is reviewed regarding recent political and social changes. Relatively few areas in the educational system use tests regularly. The current political climate is expected to bring new standardized tests. A national core curriculum is planned with more autonomy for local-level and school-level decisions.…

Educational testing is at a decisive moment, as the issue of standardized testing has become one of the most hotly debated education issues of the decade. The accuracy and relevance of standardized tests have been questioned by many researchers, evidenced in the 20-year report of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. There is general…