The diversity in college admissions policies is described and the relationship between these policies and admissions testing is explained. The consequences of government regulation of testing is discussed. Colleges are urged to defend their autonomy in admissions and to act responsibly in that respect. (Author/AL)

Learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and unclassified male students tested when 6 to 11 years of age with the Elizur Test of Psycho-Organicity were reassessed four years later. The test-retest reliability, subtest reliabilities, and pattern of subtest intercorrelations were found to be stable, but individual subtest scores should be used with…

Examines the arguments against the indiscriminate use of readability formulas. (FL)

"Measuring Up" describes the current standards-based educational reform movement for a general audience and professionals who have not been involved in reform. The simplified perspective does not do justice to the complexity of reform issues in some contexts, but the case studies illustrating reform efforts are particularly useful. (SLD)

Reviewed is research which supports retesting students to enhance learning. Evaluation results, materials and methods used to implement the procedure are described. Included are tables on student responses concerning involved groups and the value and benefits of retakes. (RT)

Educational Testing Service's (ETS) international testing of student achievement (1988) was supported by politicians seeking simple answers, but results were badly flawed and pointless. ETS emphasized global comparisons among countries on a single achievement scale, using an arbitrary formula heavily weighted toward computation; actual questions…

Across five continents, operant testing schemes are the assessment equivalent of an English jumble sale. Test types, rationales, preparation times, and scoring practices are equally diverse in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Israel, and Japan. Most systems are in flux or under scrutiny. (MLH)

Two achievement testing programs in New York City that have had and are having some consequences are described, and how the school system tries to determine and deal with these consequences is explored. Cooperation and open dialog between test publishers and the school district are making it possible to deal with the real-life problems of test…

Issues concerning the cost and feasibility of using Formulating Hypotheses (FH) test item types for the Graduate Record Examinations have slowed research into their use. This project focused on two major issues that need to be addressed in considering FH items for operational use: the costs of scoring and the assignment of scores along a range of…

Forty-six tests from the Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests, published by the Educational Testing Service, were used in an investigation of the factor structure of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The overall kit contains 72 fairly short tests that have been developed to serve as markers for 23 factors that appear in the…

Inclusion of oral exams as a regular part of the school-based testing program has the advantages of providing motivation to learn oral skills, oral testing experience, additional opportunities for students to perform well, and improved relationships with students. However, logistical problems can be substantial. Adequate time for and efficient…

Improved communication and cooperation between test publishers and school systems is essential for solving major test problems. Test-curriculum matching, test equating, and inappropriate use of grade equivalent scores are major problem areas. The degree to which a standardized test yields information relevant to what the system is trying to teach…

In a confidence weighting situation, the examinee is asked to indicate the correct answer, and how certain he or she is of the correctness of that answer. This paper reviews the bases for confidence marking, its validity and accuracy in evaluating students, and it's use in research. (BW)

In June 1995, the Scottish Council for Research in Education began a 5-month study of the Standard Entrance Examination (SET) to the police in Scotland. The first phase was an analysis of existing recruitment and selection statistics from the eight Scottish police forces. Phase Two was a study of two police forces using a case study methodology.…

Offers opposing views on the value of mass testing in English. (JL)