Results of a 1987 report indicating that elementary students of all states were above the national average are assessed. Issues addressed include teaching for standardized tests, the effect of teaching on national norms, and alternatives available to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of normed test scores. (TJH)

This document contains five papers describing the customization of the achievement testing program for Palm Beach County (Florida) Schools. They are as follows: "Customized Achievement Testing Programs" (S. Jean Jolly); "Using the Rasch Model to Develop Curriculum-Referenced Norms" (R. Robert Rentz); "Matching Standardized…

In this speech, the president of the National Education Association presents a series of arguments against the development of national educational standards and against the continued use of national, norm-referenced, standardized tests. Eight objections to the use of such tests are noted. Defense of the teaching profession's objections to the…

In 1987, a survey report by J. Cannell was published criticizing state reports based on national standardized testing of elementary school students that indicated that all 50 states were above the national average. This phenomenon--known as the "Lake Wobegon Effect"--is analyzed. Technical problems with the study are considered. (TJH)

A survey was conducted of achievement testing practices in the intermediate and senior divisions of French-language Ontario schools. Grades 7-8 and grades 9-10 were discussed separately. Department heads, administrators, and board of education members were interviewed concerning the availability and curricular validity of the French-language…

John J. Cannell's late 1980s "Lake Wobegon" reports suggested widespread deliberate educator manipulation of norm-referenced standardized test (NRT) administrations and results, resulting in artificial test score gains. The Cannell studies have been referenced in education research since, but as evidence that high stakes (and not cheating or lax…

The relationship between the Instructional Process, Instructional Objectives, and Assessment Tasks, identified at the School City of Gary, Indiana, necessitate an effective testing program. Four characteristics perceived crucial to a sound program were: (1) The program should be continuous, (2) The testing program should be comprehensive, (3)…

This research, conducted for California State Department of Education, is one component of a feasibility study focusing on ways to make the testing process more efficient by application of multi-purpose tests (MPT). MPT are designed, administered and scored to serve more than one purpose and to consolidate and unify testing programs as a partial…

During the spring semester of 1987, the Alabama State Department of Education conducted a statewide assessment study in which all teachers and principals participated. The classroom performance of teachers was observed, and their teaching competencies were measured on low- and high-inference instruments. These measurements were to be used to…

This paper describes a model for the evaluation and approval of a test battery for compliance with a midwestern state law mandating criterion-referenced testing of specific objectives. Standards specifying that the test scores must demonstrate content validity and criterion-related validity form the foundation of the model. The model also…

Two focus groups of test and measurement experts were held to explore the use of out-of-level testing for students with disabilities. The participants (n=17) included state and federal level assessment personnel, test company employees, and university professors. A content analysis of the narrative results indicated that there was no clear…

The Statewide Testing Program assessed the achievement of South Carolina students in grades 3, 6, and 11. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form S (CTBS/S) were used to measure achievement in reading, language, mathematics, reference skills, science, and social studies. Over 126,000 students, representing 91 of South Carolina's 92 school…

In this study, special education teachers identified students with learning disabilities who were working on math skills usually taught two grades below the grade in which the student was enrolled. Each student (n=33) took two levels of the MAT/7 math computation test, an on-grade test, and an out-of-level test intended for students two grades…

A survey was conducted among 1,022 school board members and administrators to determine nationwide school district testing practices. Of the districts represented at the 1976 convention of the National School Boards Association which were included in the sample, 75% reported the existence of district-wide testing programs. The various types of…