Short-term fixes may boost test scores without improving learning. Schools focused on higher standards and instructional reform should reorganize and condense state, district, and national standards; adopt a "less is more" approach; support collaborative improvement efforts; and link assessment to a high-quality learning environment.…

Reviews the status of classroom assessment, focusing on the review of four key research summaries that describe the dismal state of classroom assessment in the past century. Cites four important developments as reasons for optimism about the future of classroom assessment and details a five-part action plan for achieving the untapped potential of…

Heather-Jane Robertson's "In Canada" column in the May 1999 "Kappan" demonstrated a wish to discredit an organization for ideological and personal reasons. Comments concerning the homogenization of curriculum and the impetus of the School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) to standardized curriculum are pure hyperbole.…

The equity of a national examination system using authentic assessments is discussed from technological and historical perspectives. Testing is, in fact, a technology embedded in sociotechnical systems such as education, government, and business. The historical perspective is important because it provides lessons for present policy. The first…

Presented in this symposium reader are nine papers, four of which deal with the theory and impact of the Rasch model on language testing and five of which discuss final examinations in secondary schools in both general and specific terms. The papers are: "Introduction to Rasch Measurement: Some Implications for Language Testing" (J. J.…

To assess the impact of various rating scale formats in rating student teachers, a Likert-type scale (Highly agree/slightly agree/neither/slightly disagree/highly disagree) was derived from the graphic scale currently used by the cooperating teachers and university supervisors. They rated the music student teachers on an eight-point scale from…

Information is presented concerning the European Association for Research and Development in Higher Education (EARDHE) and educational research and development occurring at the universities in the Netherlands. Additionally, perspectives on how university teachers in Hamburg, Germany, can improve their teaching methods are considered. The goals and…

THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE AND NOTE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN THE COGNITIVE OBJECTIVES OF EXAMINATIONS USED IN NINTH GRADE COURSES IN A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS FOR 1963-64 PREPARED BY INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS OR BY TEACHERS AS MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES WERE ANALYZED BY TEST ITEMS ACCORDING TO THE TAXONOMY OF EDUCATIONAL…

The conference was planned to appeal to a diverse audience and was not centered on a single unifying theme. It was divided into three sessions. Session I was comprised of two presentations which focused on measurement problems at the preschool, early childhood, and preadolescent levels: Measurement of Cognitive Abilities at the Preschool and Early…

The National Education Association (NEA) Task Force on Testing's position statement on educational and psychological testing, originally presented at the 1973 Representative Assembly of NEA, is reinforced for the 1975 assembly. In summary, the task force believes that the major use of tests should be to improve instruction--to diagnose learning…

Emphasized in this speech are the innovative practices in the standardized foreign language testing programs sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) and the Modern Language Association (MLA). The CEEB projected listening and reading "composite tests" and changes in the French and Latin Advanced Placement Tests are…

Describes a system employed by a middle school to improve performance scores on the Comprehensive Testing of Basic Skills (CTBS), through aggressive attitude changes, to ensure fiscal and other benefits. Notes characteristics of the approach, including realistic goals, student involvement, student responsibility, community involvement, student…

The 1976 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Invitational Conference served as a platform for individuals who have been prominent in educational measurement and research to present their views on issues surrounding the testing controversy. The 1976 ETS "The Testing Scene: Chaos and Controversy," presents a historical review of events surrounding the…

Since the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) was published in 1991, it has been reported that fewer students are qualifying for gifted programs that use the WISC-III as a criterion measure. WISC-III differs from the WISC-Revised (WISC-R) in having a greater emphasis on speed of response, which could…

This document discusses the proposed "Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers" from the perspective of a large employer using employment testing to predict future performance in a variety of jobs. It is suggested that the proposed document will impede an employer's ability to use tests for selection purposes in three ways. The existence of the…