A chronicle of controversies over testing (heredity-environment, experimenter bias, social class bias, tests as sorters for schools and society) and the difficulties that ensue when the scholar enters the arena of public policy. The thesis is offered that the hearing given to social evidence and issues depends on the times and the audience, with…

This study focused on two questions: (1) whether the types of study-aid test, or the levels of test anxiety would affect the level of performance on the test under non-anxious conditions; and (2) whether there would be any interaction effect between the types of study-aid test and the levels of anxiety under non-anxious conditions. Twelve female…

Critical thinking comprises the mental processes, strategies, and representations people use to solve problems, make decisions, and learn new concepts. The study of critical thinking combines the educational, philosophical, and psychological traditions of thought. R. Ennis offers a philosophical taxonomy suggesting that critical thinking results…

Prior research indicates that language-handicapped children obtain higher test scores when tested by personally familiar examiners than when tested by personally unfamiliar examiners. The present investigation inquired whether this finding is due to examinees' actual differential performance across the two examiner conditions, or whether it is the…

The Florida Statewide Assessment Program provides "The Practice SSAT-II," for students who will be taking the State Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II). This practice test may be administered to tenth grade students taking the test for the first time and to eleventh and twelfth graders if they have previously failed the SSAT-II.…

Suggestions are made regarding ways teachers can help adult learners reduce their test anxiety. These general comments apply to content-oriented courses and may have some general applicability to all testing situations. The suggestions include clearly characterizing the test prior to its administration, planning for last-minute questions on test…

A post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scale for the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was developed using an outpatient sample consisting of 45 clients meeting criteria for the PTSD syndrome in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III), and an equal number of matched controls. The scale was derived empirically by…

A detailed description of five latent structure models of achievement measurement is presented. The first project paper, by David L. McArthur, analyzes the history of mental testing to show how conventional item analysis procedures were developed, and how dissatisfaction with them has led to fragmentation. The range of distinct conceptual and…

The United States Armed Services are planning to introduce computerized adaptive testing (CAT) into the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which is a major part of the present personnel assessment procedures. Adaptive testing will improve efficiency greatly by assessing each candidate's answers as the test progresses and posing…

The study was concerned with the merits of functional level versus nominal level achievement testing. The reliability of test scores when students were tested at their functional levels rather than their nominal levels was examined. Motivation and frustration of students was studied during testing at their functional levels. Another goal of the…

The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) was administered to 11,114 eighth grade students during fall 1984. This two-section report presents findings of the SAT's three mathematics subtests. These subtests measured achievement relative to mathematics concepts (number, notation, operations, and geometry and measurement), computation, and applications…

The science achievement of American students ages 9, 13, and 17 was measured during the 1976-77 school year. Overall, 543 different questions were asked in the cognitive assessment of science at the three age levels. The questions were developed according to a two-dimensional matrix. One dimension, the classification of the cognitive abilities…

A statement of the major issues surrounding the use of standardized tests in schools is provided, covering the following areas of concern: (1) the major types of standardized tests and how they differ from teacher-made tests; (2) the role of standardized tests in education; (3) administering/scoring standardized tests; (4) interpretation of…

AMONG THE COURSES IN THE UPWARD BOUND PROJECT AT THE GENERAL COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, IS CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING. IT IS FELT THAT CREATIVITY TRAINING GIVES THE UNDERACHIEVER THE MOTIVATION AND SKILL TO SOLVE HIS OWN PROBLEMS BY SHOWING HIM THE PROCEDURES OF PROBLEM DEFINITION AND SOLUTION. SIXTY-THREE STUDENTS, OF AVERAGE ABILITY BUT…

Discussed are issues involved in testing the mental abilities of nonWestern, nonurban ethnic groups. Within this context the paper reviews conceptions of intelligence and intellectual potential, prediction under fixed and adaptive conditions, the question of environmental influences, and some formal test factors. Examples are drawn from African…