Achieving sufficient proficiency in academic writing is critical in university level setting. It is not surprising hence, that the admission to English speaking universities is usually conditioned not only by a particular total score from Standardized tests of English proficiency, e.g., TOEFL or IELTs but also a specific band score in writing. To…

State test scores administered for accountability purposes are regularly used to adjust instruction in nuanced ways. This is no accident--No Child Left Behind demanded that students' scores be returned quickly to teachers in order that this might be the case, and the idea of data-driven decision making continues as one way the promise of education…

Purpose: To review the content and psychometric characteristics of 6 published tests currently available to aid in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of motor speech disorders in children. Method: We compared the content of the 6 tests and critically evaluated the degree to which important psychometric characteristics support the tests' use for…

Comparing distribution of scores on the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA) with those from the Wechsler Performance Scales for 71 hearing impaired Ss revealed a correlation of .85. However, the H-NTLA yielded more Ss with extreme scores. Findings stress the need for caution in interpreting extreme H-NTLA scores. (CL)

Warns that scores on standardized reading tests which fall at or below the chance level should be disregarded and suggests that teachers administer a lower level of the same test. Table. (RW)

A critical examination is made of standardized social studies achievement tests from a psychometric and reading perspective. Five major issues are identified that detract from the meaningful interpretation of student performance on standardized social studies tests. The issues discussed are (1) the reading dependency of social studies items, (2)…

Out-of-level'' testing is the assigning of pupils to levels of a standardized test on the basis of previous test scores rather than their present grade assignment. Test results of 1500 children were reviewed to see if their performance supported the rationale behind the practice. (Author/CB)

The validity of current standardized competency tests for writing is in doubt as is the need for such testing at all. Some tests, especially those requiring little writing, may not be testing what they purport to test (content validity). Instructional validity (testing what has actually been taught) raises the issue that what is being tested is…

A brief, nontechnical state-of-the-art review of four common instruments and current practices in the field of scholastic aptitude testing is presented. The instruments include: the 1971 Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT), 1973 Henmon-Nelson Tests of Mental Ability (H-NTMA), 1979 Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and the 1970 Short Form Test of…

The factorial validity of the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) was investigated with a sample of first graders (n=393). Although eight areas are proposed from the SAT, this analysis produced only one general factor. Results suggest limiting SAT interpretation for first graders to a total score approach. (Author/BS)

Addresses the issue of what intelligence tests really measure and for what purpose and which populations. Examines the role of intelligence testing within the larger mental retardation evaluation process, looking at this phenomenon from both the historical and contemporary perspectives. (Author/ABB)

In conjunction with testing mandates, some states have developed new measures intended to reflect changes in thinking about reading. Discusses, in dialogue form, whether these new measures support educational improvement or limit them. (BJV)

Many states have adopted minimal competency testing in reading or writing, assuming that goals of basic education are measurable and that testing for such goals is technologically feasible. It is not clear that such testing comes at a time in history when the quality of education is demonstrably lower than at other times in American education. The…

WHILE REPORTS ON THE USE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN JUNIOR COLLEGES ARE COMMONLY TABULATIONS OF SCORES, SOME COLLEGES HAVE STUDIED TOPICS SUCH AS THE RELATIONSHIP OF TEST SCORES TO GENERAL COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENT, VALIDITY OF TEST SCORES IN PREDICTING SUCCESS IN SPECIFIC COURSES, AND EVALUATION OF CHANGES IN STUDENTS DURING THEIR COLLEGE EXPERIENCES.…