The attorney for the plaintiffs in Debra P. v. Turlington discusses the harmful effects and the arbitrary and unfair nature of minimum competency testing. (Author/WD)

A defense is presented against the criticism that school psychologists who critically evaluate the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) are biased (TM 504 174). (MH)

Self-assessments combined with achievements and test scores lead to increased accuracy and fairness in examining, but require adjustment for degree of understanding of the element to be rated. This kind of analysis appears promising for studies designed to reduce adverse impact of tests. (Author)

Discusses issues involved in the construction, validity, and use of tests that evaluate educational progress, especially those that assess higher-order cognitive functioning. Reviews the four articles in this special issue. (FMW)

For 40 gifted students, the mean Full Scale score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was 13.52 points higher than the mean composite score of the Stanford-Binet, Fourth Edition (Binet-IV). Between the two instruments, 11 of 15 possible subscale correlations were significant. Use of the Binet-IV might result in placement of…

Describes the academic context in which the "French CAT" was created and trialed and gives a detailed consideration of the test presentation platform and operating algorithms. Finally, the article evaluates the first administration of the test and discusses its reliability and validity as a placement instrument for first-year Australian…

The psychometric literature is replete with comprehensive discussions of test validity, test validation, and the characteristics of quality assessment programs. The most authoritative source for guidance regarding sound test development and evaluation practices is the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. However, the Standards are…

Diagnostic testing in mathematics has become a favoured tool at many universities. In this paper we report on a novel method of diagnostic testing which incorporates a paired question approach, with two questions being set on each of 20 different topics. It was introduced at Loughborough University for use with first year engineering students in…

The validity concomitants of four sets of directions regarding guessing were investigated. The most valid procedures were testing with directions indicating or implying use of a scoring formula and scoring by means of conventional or multiple regression formulas. (Author)

Presents study designed to determine whether AP German Language Examination requires the same level of skill as third-year college German courses. Compares performances of AP German Language Examination candidates with college students completing second- or third-year German language courses. Results indicate AP exam is valid measure of competency…

A theorem is developed to show that the Kruskal-Wallis test (W. Kruskal and W. Wallis, 1952) (KWt) can be used validly to test a hypothesis about location under much less restrictive conditions than required by the recently accepted, mathematically correct shift model. The specific null hypothesis for which the KWt can be used validly is…

This collection explores the theory and applications of educational testing. It is divided into sections on theory and general principles of educational measurement, administration of tests and scoring, and applications of testing. The following chapters present information on test theory and use: (1) "Current Perspectives and Future…

Adult educators in the state of New Jersey have expressed concern about the adequacy of the 1978 General Educational Development (GED) test. Based on these concerns research was conducted in the use and applicability of the current GED test. The project investigated whether the existing GED test was meeting the needs of the large majority of GED…

Accurate measures of youth fitness are needed by researchers and practitioners. Evidence of validity and reliability are essential before results of youth fitness tests can be used to make sound decisions. This article describes a three-stage paradigm for validation research and provides guidance for conducting and understanding norm-referenced…

A discussion of trends and progress in language testing looks at movement in the field since 1980, based on the themes and content of national and international conferences; trends in test content, method, and analysis; and work on the nature of proficiency and of language learning. It is proposed that movement evidenced by conferences is largely…