Norm-referenced testing is not appropriate for use in teacher evaluation. A truly equitable method of teacher evaluation is based on a clear set of instructional targets and on the teacher's effectiveness in helping students master the specific skills and knowledge targeted. (Author/MLF)

The decline in scholastic aptitude test ( SAT) scores does not signify that the quality of education is lower. To interpret this decline requires an understanding of the testing process, changing racial and sex mix of the test makers, changing lifestyle of youth, and the increase in the number of students taking the SAT. (Author/AM)

In order to use Norm referenced tests (NRT) in a meaningful way, test users have to understand the limitations of NRT to fully or accurately assess the test taker. NRT needs to be put into perspective with other information and integrated with an individual's experiences, needs, values, goals and objectives. (Author)

This paper focuses on certain technical aspects of reading-program evaluation, noting the differences in decision-making requirements and data-collection procedures between local administrators and State and Federal evaluators. The paper discusses the following differences in decision-making requirements: evaluating groups or individuals,…

This paper delineates several problems which arise when criterion-referenced test results are used to evaluate the effects of a specific educational treatment. Focus is on these topics: (1) the aggregation of individual students' data on objectives, (2) the sensitivity of the instrument to instruction, (3) the interpretation of…

The paper examines the issue of whether the concepts and practices of standardized testing, on the one hand, and the pursuit and attainment of equal opportunity, on the other, are compatible. The author cites a number of areas where tension and conflict have centered; however, he feels that there is no necessary incompatibility between the…

Four topics were emphasized during this conference on testing problems: (1) the selection of appropriate score scales for tests; (2) the experimental approach to the measurement of human motivation; (3) trends in public opinion polling since 1948 and their probable effects on predictions of the 1952 election; and (4) techniques for developing…

For Title I evaluations, it may be appropriate to test out-of-level; that is, to override publisher's recommendations concerning the difficulty, length, and content appropriate for a particular grade. It is seldom necessary, however, to move more than one grade down. If the mean is substantially higher than the median, then some pupils will have…

Six current issues in the use of tests are examined in this paper. Are the tests used in education valid? In general and to a reasonably satisfactory extent they are. Is the emphasis these tests place on cognitive achievements a serious limitation? Because of the basic and pervasive role of cognition in human affairs, and in the absence of any…

This document contains five papers describing the customization of the achievement testing program for Palm Beach County (Florida) Schools. They are as follows: "Customized Achievement Testing Programs" (S. Jean Jolly); "Using the Rasch Model to Develop Curriculum-Referenced Norms" (R. Robert Rentz); "Matching Standardized…

Standardized achievement tests are often misused as indicators of a school's quality or effectiveness relative to other schools. This is an incorrect use because it ignores variation among schools in student abilities, family support of education, student mobility, and other factors. People also misuse tests because they impute to them more…

Arguments in support of standardized testing are critically analyzed. Usual criticisms of such tests are summarized as relatively unimportant. However, two basic criticisms are offered: the competitive nature of scoring standardized tests and their lack of content validity. The test-makers contention that tests are neutral and simply need to be…

As a result of the increasing insistence that schools should concentrate on teaching basic skills, states and school districts have moved to establish minimum competencies for high school graduation, to be assessed by tests that demonstrate that students have achieved a certain level of mastery of basic skills. The Austin, Texas, Independent…

This book is designed to assist testing professionals as they face the challenge of how best to assess and test people with disabilities. Chapters include: (1) "Testing Individuals with Disabilities: Reconciling Social Science and Social Policy" (Diana Pullin); (2) "The Psychometrics of Testing Individuals with Disabilities"…