Following a critique of so-called educational testing, this article examines three "educationally noteworthy school testing programs"--those of Portland, Oregon; Orange County, Florida; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and one noteworthy school with no standardized testing: the Prospect School in Bennington, Vermont. Derives some broad…

Remarks made at several panel discussions are summarized in this narrative report. The discussion topics and speakers include: (1) public education and testing--Tom Tomlinson, Ann Kahn, Herb Mack, and Jean Nazzaro, with remarks by Patricia Albjerg Graham; (2) standards regarding testing--Walt Haney, Barbara Lerner, Ann Cook, Willo White, and Bob…

Remarks made at the conference are summarized in seven sections of this narrative report: (1) update: recent events concerning testing,--representing the viewpoints of school districts, professional associations, government agencies, and research organizations; (2) National Institute of Education (NIE) study of school districts' use of test and…

A summary, prepared from notes and tape recordings, is presented of the 1979 conference of the National Consortium on Testing. Panel descussions on the following topics are included: (1) introduction; (2) update--recent and upcoming events concerning testing; (3) test preparation and coaching; (4) minimum competency testing; (5) program evaluation…

The enthusiasm for competency testing poses a contradiction, for it comes at a time when questions and criticisms are being increasingly raised about tests and their use. In three sections, this paper explores the competency testing movement: 1) main features and basic issues in the competency testing movements; 2) observations on the politics of…

This paper discusses the quality of tests with respect to their different uses. Standardized tests are defined as standardized procedures for eliciting responses from individuals, and these form the basis for some sort of appraisal. They can include intelligence tests, achievement tests, school readiness tests, and self concept measures. Oscar…

Topics related to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed. Issues affecting the impact of testing on education include: what is tested; how scores are referenced; internal versus external sources of testing; and the rewards, sanctions, or stakes associated with test results. Testing has both intentional (direct) and…

Current conflicts over test bias and "truth-in-testing" reflect differing aims of education and the increasingly important social role of testing in our society. (Author)

The effect that mode of administration, computer versus paper and pencil, had on the performance of 120 middle school students on multiple choice and written test questions was studied. Results show that, for students accustomed to writing on computers, responses written on the computer were more successful. Implications for testing are discussed.…

The results of a small research project that studied the effect computer administration has on student performance for writing or essay tests are presented. The introduction of computer-administered tests has raised concern about the equivalence of scores generated by computer versus paper-and-pencil test versions. For this study a sample of…

Three do-it-yourself intelligence test handbooks, five mini-textbooks, and five consumer protection guides are reviewed. Each type of publication reflects different social ideologies and communicates favorable, cautiously neutral, or critical messages, respectively, about testing. Psychologists Jules Leopold, Martin Lutterjohan, and Victor…

The minialist approach to social policy, especially concerning public education, has not worked because the assurance of minimal protection for the deprived also entails a rise in acceptable levels of attainment for those above the minimum, in order to preserve their competitive advantage. Also, particular minimums, such as universal elementary…

The goal of this booklet is to describe some of the special challenges posed by early childhood assessment in general, and particularly as they apply to Title I program evaluation. The booklet has four purposes: (1) to describe special issues in early childhood assessment; (2) to describe briefly alternative approaches to early childhood…