Perceived shortage of principals, increased accountability demands, the changing role of principals, and the growing influence of the state over school administration have created a set of challenges for principal certification and licensure that have propelled a renewed need for analysis of certification and licensure processes. Recent calls to…

Approximately one-third of American freshmen at two-year and four-year colleges require remedial coursework and over 40 percent of employers rate new hires with a high school diploma as "deficient" in their overall preparation for entry-level jobs. Yet, over the past decade, as these students marched through America's public education…

This chapter addresses the psychometric challenges in assessing English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities (SWDs). The first section addresses some general considerations in the assessment of ELLs and SWDs, including the prevalence of ELLs and SWDs in the student population, federal and state legislation that requires the…

The Florida Court decision reaffirms a state's right to impose a diploma sanction when competency tests are valid. Testing specialists now have a precedent for demonstrating curricular and instructional validity. Competency testing programs are a useful method for implementing instructional improvements. (DWH)

Administering a large scale licensing examination program presents both technical and non-technical challenges. Five major areas are discussed in this paper: (1) ensuring test validity in relation to occupational entry standards; (2) developing test items from valid examination specifications; (3) establishing legally defensible passing scores;…

As the new version of the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" is being developed, it is apparent that putting together a set of standards for test publishing involves many difficulties. Although the basic intent of almost all parties involved is similar, there are many potential areas of disagreement among parties to…

This court litigation reverses Farris and Black of Home School Legal Defense Association v. South Carolina State Board of Education, which found that the Education Entrance Examination (EEE) was properly validated for use in testing home school instructors as regulated by S. C. Code Ann. Section 59-65-40(A)(1)(a)(1990), the home schooling statute…

The growth in the minimum competency testing movement stems not only from a concern with what students are getting from their schooling, but also from a desire to make sure that the public gets a return on its investment in education. (Author/RLV)

Arguments for and against disclosure of standardized test contents and answers, addressing issues of humanizing the testing process, equalizing educational opportunity, ensuring accountability, minimizing costs, ensuring fairness, and protecting test validity, are presented. (MSE)

The proponents of test disclosure argue that disclosure is a matter of fairness; the opponents argue that fairness is enhanced by score equating which is dependent on test security. This research simulated disclosure on a professional licensing examination by placing response keys to selected items in some examinees' records, and comparing their…

This article discusses the potential for discrimination inherent in competency-based testing and suggests some provisions which might be included in a fair competency-based program. Discussed are: (1) racial discrimination; (2) inadequate phase-in periods; (3) tests which are not reliable or have not been validated; (4) inadequate matching of the…

The Stull Act (after its principal sponsor, Assemblyman John Stull) requires all school districts in California to adopt a uniform set of guidelines for use in evaluating the professional competence of their certificated personnel. The act went into effect on September 1, 1972. In the spring of 1972, it became apparent from newspaper articles that…

Competency testing often refers to a system devised to assure successful performance on a specific test, in addition to other mandated criteria as a requisite to obtaining a high school diploma. Minimum competency testing is usually defined in one of two ways: as the acquisition of basic skills or as the demonstrated ability to apply basic skills…

Legal issues at the state and constitutional levels and associated misconceptions related to written preemployment integrity tests are addressed. Common misconceptions include the beliefs that: (1) such tests fall within the purview of state antipolygraph statutes; (2) unfair discrimination doctrines are violated by integrity testing; and (3)…

State legislative action to control and reward teaching quality has resulted in the coming of age of systematic teacher performance evaluation for certification, merit pay, or career ladder advancement decisions. This article overviews issues of credibility and practicality--including test design, validity, and reliability--which arise when…