Author suggests means to help researchers deal with factor analysis as a tool for construct validation of educational objectives. (HB)

In a discussion of accountability and performance contracting, the author believes that within a couple of years, performance contracting in its present form will be seen as a rather primitive, simplistic approach to the practice of accountability, but the notion of accountability will continue to be a powerful influence on the educational scene.…

This report represents part of an investigation coordinated by a special Steering Committee working under the auspices of the National Council for the Social Studies. The purpose of Task 2 was to review independently the National Assessment of Educational Progress Social Studies and Citizenship exercises as to the extent to which confidence could…

The essay-type items of postgraduate achievement examinations in psychology for students at the University of Peshawar were classified, and the relative frequencies of the items were compared with those for psychology examinations administered at a British university. The dimensions of Analysis and Synthesis appeared to be underrepresented at…

Approximately 120 published pre-school and Kindergarten tests (including over 630 subtests with separately normed scores) were evaluated through the MEAN test evaluation procedure which reflects four main areas of concern: measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. Evaluation results…

Criteria for making decisions about eligibility and instruction assessment procedures are discussed. Key criteria for consideration include accuracy, efficiency, reliability and validity of eligibility criteria and methods. Factors in assessment strategies for instructional decisions include selection of general teaching methods, learning progress…

Today, teachers are expected to develop complex skills, such as research skills, in their students while implementing new views on learning and teaching and using authentic assessment strategies. About these new assessment strategies there is much debate and teachers are vulnerable in using them. We studied upper secondary education natural and…

The Pennsylvania Plan for Educational Quality Assessment is discussed as to its beginnings, its goals, its implementation, and its future. The plan aids schoolmen of the State in assessing the quality of education their schools are providing in relation to 10 goals, which propose to encourage the students to develop self-understanding,…

A procedure for in-depth analysis of a limited number of tests being considered for selection by a school, district, project, or state personnel is described. This procedure involves listing the objectives that it would be desirable to measure determining the relative importance of each of these objectives, having "judges" match test items to…

Tasks 5 and 6 describe the dissemination activities and a rating of the National Assessment for Educational Progress social studies exercises by members of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). The dissemination activities, described in a one page report, include a special issue of the NCSS journal "Social Education," May…

An objective-based classification of needs-assessment areas for elementary education and a critical test evaluation procedure for application to measurement devices in these need areas were developed. Criteria for the evaluation are measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. The…

A brief discussion of the concept of validity, a description of the nature and purposes of the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED), and a rationale for the inclusion of ITED results as part of the overall program evaluation of a secondary school are presented. According to the authors, the ITED can validly be used as one of the…

Symposium topics and speakers include "Choosing Needs for Needs Assessment" (Stephen P. Klein); "Selecting Tests to Assess the Needs" (Ralph Hoepfner); "Making Better Decisions on Assessed Needs: Differentiated School Norms" (Paul A. Bradley and Dale Woolley); and "Allocating Resources by Subject Area"…

The first of the National Education Goals states that by the year 2000 all children in America will start school ready to learn. Pressed by demands for greater accountability and enhanced educational performance, states are developing standards and creating new criteria and approaches for assessing achievement. Calls to assess young children are…

Six essays on technical measurement problems in criterion referenced tests and four essays by psychometricians proposing solutions are presented: (1) "Criterion-Referenced Measurement" and Other Such Terms, by Marvin C. Alkin which is an overview of the first six papers; (2) Selecting Objectives and Generating Test Items for Objectives-Based…