This study examined the effect of distributed questioning on learning and retention in a college lecture course. A total of 48 question pairs were presented over four exams. The 16 question pairs associated with each of the three blocks of the course appeared on the block exams, and all 48 appeared on the final exam. The two questions in each pair…

It is year six of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, and, according to this author, social studies has suffered greatly. In spite of the public outcry over the law's testing mandates and limited federal funding, some educators believe most of the public does not know about core academic subjects being squeezed out of the K-12 public school…

High-stakes testing is the practice of attaching important consequences to standardized test scores, and it is the engine that drives the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The rationale for high-stakes testing is that the promise of rewards and the threat of punishments will cause teachers to work more effectively, students to be more motivated,…

The paper addresses the issues of testing modifications with handicapped students in Houston (Texas) Independent School District. Using descriptive data, the performance of secondary mainstreamed and nonhandicapped students on course proficiency field tests without modifications are compared. Approximately 65% of the mainstreamed students were…

THE PAPER REPORTS ON AN ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE EMPIRICALLY, FOR SEVERAL TEST-CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS, THE AMOUNT OF IMPROVEMENT RESULTING WHEN TESTS ARE TAILORMADE TO FIT ONE PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTIC OF A LOCAL POPULATION--THE BASE RATES OF THE TWO CRITERION GROUPS WHICH THE TEST IS DESIGNED TO SEPARATE. THE BASIC PROCEDURE USED WAS TO CONSTRUCT A…

Since 1960, an increasing number of books have been written on the theme of test-taking. Prior to that time, such information was found primarily in books concerned with learning and studying. Thirty-five referecnes related to test-taking are described in chronological order beginning with the most recent publication data. (DE)

A successful marriage between counseling and testing must be based on mutual beliefs and expectations. AMEG can provide test users and test specialists with a means for agreement on some realistic expectations for the marriage between counseling and testing. (Author)

Explained for parents is the logic involved in the design of psychological tests. (KW)

No matter where teachers, state officials, and testing experts stand on the debate about school accountability, they generally agree that the United States' current multiple-choice-dominated Kinder-12 tests are, to use language borrowed from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, "in need of improvement." Now, federal officials are…

Operating a quality assurance system in tertiary education is the rule rather than the exception, because of the belief that it will improve quality. However, proving this is not easy. This study examines three ways of providing the evidence: the a "priori" method, the stepwise backtracking method, and the external evaluation method. The…

The focus of the current article is language testing in the context of citizenship and asylum in Estonia, a country that regained independence in 1991. Estonian as the single official language of the country (according to the new language legislation laws) and a new political system have caused changes in use of and attitudes toward Estonian among…

Although an important role has been ascribed to working-memory capacity in reading comprehension, little consensus exists on its conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement except for its recognition as a limited-capacity processing and storage system. One specific problem in the measurement of working memory comes from researchers' use…

This case exemplifies the effects of high stakes standardized testing and accountability on education and stakeholders. When schools are pressured for success, educational leaders and teachers often find themselves in circumstances where regulations and procedures are violated, sometimes with noble intent. The case focuses on the ethical and…