Ultimately, measures in research, testing, assessment and evaluation are used, or have implications, for ranking, intervention, feedback, decision-making or policy purposes. Explicit recognition of this fact brings the often-ignored and sometimes maligned concept of consequences to the fore. Given that measures have personal and social…

Teachers and test professionals must work together for responsible measurement in English to take place. Traditionally, they have refused to do so, a situation that has led to serious problems in at least three areas: research in the teaching of writing, classroom practice in teaching revision of writing, and some testing practices by such…

A pretest-posttest design for measuring the effects of educational programs uses comparison groups consisting of pupils like those in the treatment group but not getting that particular treatment. Although the design is geared primarily to evaluation of Title I programs in large cities, it should also apply to other situations. The plan for…

To evaluate test speededness and to derive implications for test program activity, this study reviewed the literature on speed and power, identifying four major approaches to the assessment of speed: the Gulliksen approach, the Cronbach and Warrington approach, the Stafford approach, and the approach of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) as…

This study considers the use of repeaters when test equating. The subjects consist of five groups of applicants to a professional certification program. Each group comprises first time examinees and repeaters. The procedures include a common item linear equating with nonrandom groups, use of equating chains, and the use of total examinee group…

Retired vice-president of Educational Testing Service asserts that chances for tests being misused are greater than ever. Speech delivered at ETS's Invitational Conference on Testing Problems on October 28, 1972, in New York, New York. (DS)

The problem of finding a meaningful way of demonstrating the benefit or satisfaction to be gained by using predictive assessment techniques to select or place individuals in work situations is explored. The urgent need of developing nations for appropriate occupational and educational selection procedures is presented and explained. A discussion…

Discusses the problems associated with the assessment of art and design. Identifies criterion-referenced assessment practices within the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) program as central to the development of a system of examination which is more fair to participants. (KO)

The five chapters of this report provide resources that deal with the validity, generalizability, comparability, performance standards, and fairness, equity, and bias of performance assessments. The book is written for experienced educational measurement practitioners, although an extensive familiarity with performance assessment is not required.…

Three propositions which may suggest a strategy for meeting the measurement needs of education are presented: (1) Educational measurement possesses enough techniques and principles to permit tackling problems for their intrinsic importance, rather than for their convenience of fit to answers we already have; (2) Measurement needs are a subset of…

This manual provides information concerning the appropriate use of alternative testing techniques when pupils with handicapping conditions participate in statewide testing programs. It is written for parents and professionals involved in the education of pupils with handicapping conditions, and is to be used as a resource by members of Committees…

Testing and assessment that are "more authentic" (performance-based or alternative) represent the most pressing issue in education today. Some of the major criticisms leveled at standardized testing are examined, and the advantages and disadvantages of more authentic assessment are reviewed. A general direction for integrating traditional and…

The Portland Board of Education had requested that the Oregon Central Evaluation Department provide student achievement data so as to allow comparisons with other school districts by reporting national grade level equivalent (GLE) scores on standardized tests of reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8. For years, the position of most research…

The relationship between the Instructional Process, Instructional Objectives, and Assessment Tasks, identified at the School City of Gary, Indiana, necessitate an effective testing program. Four characteristics perceived crucial to a sound program were: (1) The program should be continuous, (2) The testing program should be comprehensive, (3)…

The requirement that home schooled students score at or above the 40th percentile on a nationally standardized test runs counter to several widely accepted principles of measurement. A single score should not be used alone in decision making, and there is no evidence that this is a valid use of the test. In addition, the 40th percentile is not an…