Whether increasing reliance on policy-driven assessment for accountability and control of educational institutions is actually sabotaging long-term goals and purposes of the schools is explored, questioning whether current practices of high-stakes testing are anathema to real education values. The distinction between policy-driven assessment and…

Discusses some children with whom the author has worked, and how the current definition of intelligence and the use of testing have affected their lives and then suggests some ways private groups can be involved in solving the problem. (Author/JM)

Explains how the arrival of the performance contractor, Behavioral Research Laboratories, at Gary, Indiana, was beneficial and why their departure became a necessity. Contends that the tenure of BRL had to be curtailed because they functioned not as a creator of a new program, but as a change agent sufficiently powerful to force change at Gary.…

Statistical bias in measurement and ethnic-group bias in testing are discussed, reviewing predictive and construct validity studies. Item bias is reconceptualized to include distance of item content from respondent's experience. Differing values of mean and standard deviation for bias parameter are analyzed in a simulation. References are…

Confusion in the terminology used in criterion-referenced measurement specifications and development and standard setting and the attendant role of cut-off scores are shown to need practical clarification through psychometric research on test applications and consequences. (CM)

A study investigated possible relationships between performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I exam and personality types to identify learning styles that may predict difficulty with that kind of testing. Results show the tests are most difficult for the personality types most easily admitted to medical school. (MSE)

In discriminant analyses of student performance on medical science certifying examinations developed by the faculties at a parent campus and regional campus, curriculum bias in examination items was shown to exist. Test construction procedures and exchange and review by faculties were found inadequate to prevent curriculum dependence. (Author/CM)

The effects of training in test-taking skills on the readiness test performance of young Spanish-speaking children from low socioeconomic backgrounds were assessed. Findings support the hypothesis that testwiseness is an important influence for such children and should be considered in assessment programs. (Author/AL)

Examines various forms of pure skills and skills combination laboratory testing developed at the Geddes Language Center (GLC) of Boston University during the past 10 years. Discusses suggestions for refinements and basic testing principles for each format, based on an evaluation of oral/aural exams on file at GLC. (MES)

Analyzes the relationship between learning objectives and assessment items for Technical Education Council physics courses. Suggests improvements. (SK)

The author, a college professor, cites specific instances in which his students misread examination questions. He considers his role in dealing with college students who have such poor reading ability. (SJL)

Illustrates the importance of carefully interpreting reading test results. (JT)

Results indicate a growing consciousness of the sex-bias issue on the part of most test publishers. Recommends that guidelines for editorial bias be issued for use by item writers, editors, and consultants. Where sex differences are found, separate normative information should be given. (Author)

This paper examines the evidence that Black children of West Indian origin in British schools are underachieving relative to their White counterparts and discusses factors which may underlie these research findings. It also considers educational problems of children of Jamaican origin and education of Jamaican children in Jamaica itself.…

Recent experience of test development in Ireland, which had no tradition of formal standardized testing, is described, in order to highlight a number of practical and psychometric problems. It is pointed out that some conventional procedures for developing norm-referenced attainment tests have limitations, especially in countries with centralized…