This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines the innovative approaches states are taking in their state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act, a law this Committee recommended and passed to fix No Child Left Behind. Following opening statements by Honorable Lamar Alexander (Chairman, Committee on Health,…

The standards outlined in this book have been developed to provide criteria for the evaluation of tests, testing practices, and the effects of test use. The "Standards" provides a frame of reference to ensure that relevant issues are addressed. The first part of the book, "Test Construction, Evaluation, and Documentation,"…

Provides an overview of legal issues concerning the testing of handicapped students and employees in elementary and secondary schools and in institutions of higher education. The first part of the paper summarizes the major specialized sources of applicable statutory and administrative law. The second part synthesizes the relevant case law.…

Guidelines for test developers and users are provided to insure that construction and selection of test instruments are conducted fairly. In addition to development and selection, issues of interpretation of scores; provision of information to test takers; and prevention of test bias based on race, gender, or ethnicity are addressed. Twenty-one…

Intended for self evaluation and improvement of school psychological services, the document lists competencies and standards for psychological assessment, intervention, and followup of children with suspected handicapping conditions. The first section presents a flow chart and a list of standards for seven competencies: referral; definition of…

Establishing statewide standards that define what a Minnesota public high school graduate should know and be able to do to function effectively as a purposeful thinker, effective communicator, self-directed learner, productive group participant, and responsible citizen, this legislation outlines the graduation standards in Written Composition that…

"The Graduation Rule - 3501" was created in three stages and governs the Basic Standards in Reading and Mathematics (1996), the Basic Standards in Written Composition (1997), and the Profile of Learning (1998). This document contains the first of these three parts comprising Chapter 3501. "Basic Standards" are the basic…

This statement presents the position of and addresses the needs of the professional members of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) divisions and regions. The seven sections discuss: (1) the development of the statement; (2) guidelines for avoiding charges of irresponsible practice; (3) qualifications of test users (those who…

Assessment testing in California's community colleges (CCC) helps to identify entering students' goals and skills level and to ensure that the students are properly advised of appropriate courses and programs. The California Education Code requires that all assessment instruments be approved by the Office of the Chancellor of the California…

Within the purview of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, legislation has specifically addressed testing practices. Reviews the historical perspective of employment testing, nonuniformity of lower court interpretations of Title VII, and Supreme Court decisions; and presents recommendations for administrators and legislators. (MLF)

In a case involving language proficiency testing of credentialed and tenured bilingual and ESL teachers, the New Jersey Education Association challenged the Educational Testing Service (ETS) on the grounds that the tests were unfair, unreliable, and poorly administered. NJEA succeeded in requiring ETS to disclose these tests to the court. (SJL)

Offers advice to administrators on how to avoid due process hearings related to special education programs. (WD)

Court case citations are organized in six major sections with brief summaries of relevant cases in subcategories followed by a table of cases cited. The major sections are as follows: (1) "Extended School Year (ESY) Services and Disabled Students" (Susan S. Schermerhorn); (2) "Recent Developments in Related Services under the…

Chapter 10 of a book on school law reviews court rulings on the use of tests and testing procedures for employment purposes. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 contains a section authorizing the use of any professionally developed ability test, provided that it is not designed, intended, or used to discriminate. The courts have held…

Discusses two recent court cases highlighting the legal pitfalls facing mandatory drug testing programs for teachers and students. In both cases, the courts contended that blanket testing policies violated Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Testing of individual teachers and students (under reasonable suspicion) may…