This article reviews the history and present status of interactional computerized assessment systems. It concludes that automated assessment is at a rudimentary stage of development especially in school psychology. Further research and development on tests specifically designed for computerization, rather than adapting existing tests to…

This report presents factors to consider in the design of computer-based testing for all students, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. It also provides a process for the initial transformation of paper/pencil assessments to inclusive computer-based testing. Steps include: (1) assemble a group of…

The spread of testing to its present near-universal status in American education is ascribed in part to the fact that tests have been found generally superior to suggested alternative ways of obtaining information about human behavior. Where alternative methods are used, it is from necessity rather than choice: there are important human…

Under positive referral conditions testers obtained higher IQ scores, rated the child more favorably on Factors Affecting Test Performance and made more favorable recommendations than under negative referral conditions, thus supporting the hypothesis that the referral agent does influence the testing situation. (Author)

To find the concurrent validity of two scholastic aptitude tests when a scholastic achievement test was used as a criterion for use in placement of mentally retarded children, 127 subjects were involved. The California Achievement Test (CAT) was used as a criterion measure, and the Primary Mental Abilities test (PMA) and the Slosson Intelligence…

Barbara Jordan served as the hearing officer for three-day adversary evaluation hearings about the pros and cons of minimum competency testing (MCT). This report is the complete transcript of the first day of proceedings. James Popham and George Madaus presented the opening arguments for the pro team and con team, respectively. Michael Scriven,…

A suggested technique for analyzing distributions of test scores compares distributions of scores made by groups of pupils on standard tests with distributions made by other groups of students on the same tests. By identifying the percents of student scores which must be shifted to an adjacent cell (interval) to make the two distributions exactly…

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss some of the problems presented by the use of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in an instructional programs environment versus large scale testing applications, and to describe an actual implementation of CAT in an instructional programs setting. This particular application is in the…

The constructive use of microcomputers in the development of tests requires thoughtful attention to the questions addressed in this paper: What is the purpose for testing? How can a microcomputer help? Which microcomputer system is best? What pitfalls should be avoided? (BW)

This study investigated participants' reactions to computerized testing and assessed the practicability of this testing method in the classroom. A sample of 315 secondary-level students took a computerized and a printed version of a standardized aptitude test battery and a survey assessing their reactions to the computerized testing. Overall…

A standardized achievement testing program was begun in Alum Rock, California in the fall of 1972 as part of an evaluation of an Educational Voucher Demonstration. During each of the first three years of the demonstration both the form of test administration and the particular level of the standardized achievement test that a student is assigned…

This brief overview notes that an adaptive test differs from standardized achievement tests in that it does not consist of a certain set of items that are administered to a group of examinees. Instead, the test is individualized for each examinee. The items administered to the examinee are selected from a large pool of items on the basis of the…

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…

Presents some specific questions that educators ought to raise about standardized tests and some alternatives to standardized tests. (Author/IRT)