This survey on modifications allowed for students with disabilities by 30 states in statewide criterion-referenced testing programs found no universal agreement about modifications. Accommodations in Test Setting and Test Scheduling were more frequently allowed than revisions in Test Directions or Test Format. Assistance devices and accommodations…

The utility of item response theory (IRT) models in computerized adaptive tests is considered. Measurement questions that have been answered using IRT, and those that might be overlooked because of IRT, are reviewed. Areas in which fuller use of IRT could improve adaptive testing practices are identified. (SLD)

Articles in this special section consider (1) flow in test taking (Craig Deville); (2) testwiseness (Thomas O'Neill); (3) test length (Benjamin Wright); (4) cross-language test equating (Richard W. Woodcock and Ana Munoz-Sandoval); (5) computer-assisted testing and testwiseness (Richard Gershon and Betty Bergstrom); and (6) Web-enhanced testing…

Court cases are presented that illustrate some of the issues that courts have dealt with in the area of educational testing. While this study was developed primarily for parents, the booklet should also help school administrators and testing professionals learn about court cases and precedents relevant to some major issues in educational testing.…

A model is presented in which a test score is influenced by three factors: (1) the test itself, including the nature of the item tryout samples, the nature of the standardization group, the item scaling model and methods, the manner of item subset generation, logical strategies in test building, the format of questions, the test appearance, item…

The problems with traditional testing, particularly as they relate to minorities, are discussed; and psychological tests designed specifically for Blacks are reviewed. Considered are general problems, problems with testing at the higher education level and for employment, and moral and legal implications of the testing controversy. The rationale…

Four essential dimensions of a performance test are detailed: directness of test method, type of criterion, standardization of conditions, and objectivity of scoring. For simplicity these factors are described as if each were dichotomous, when in actuality each is a continuum; a test method may be more or less direct, conditions more or less…

This study is an a priori demonstration of the applicability of multiple matrix sampling techniques to the practical research problem of parameter estimation. Three tests were administered to two separate but parallel populations, with one receiving item samples and the other receiving full tests. Special efforts were made to minimize the context…

This paper reports on the administration of the Preschool Attainment Record (PAR), which is used to estimate developmental levels in children from 6 months to 8 years of age. The PAR was given to 17 5-year-old disadvantaged boys and girls of average intelligence. To reduce the tendency of evaluators to inflate scores, the test was administered by…

This response to a previous article concerning the use of the CBEST considers the importance of periodic review of testing and scoring procedures, the uses and improvement of these procedures, and the search for alternatives which better suit the intended purposes. (CB)

The article emphasizes the application of minimum testing programs to deaf students and provides background information regarding the nature of minimum competency testing programs and on major issues regarding implementation and use of testing procedures. Information regarding the development of minimum competency testing programs for deaf…

This digest discusses sources of error in testing, several approaches to estimating reliability, and several ways to increase test reliability. Reliability has been defined in different ways by different authors, but the best way to look at reliability may be the extent to which measurements resulting from a test are characteristics of those being…

This report discusses deep curriculum alignment and is designed to serve as a practical guide to an educational strategy that embraces the philosophy of "what is tested is what is taught." Chapter 1 describes misconceptions and misuses of rhetoric about public education, popular myths about tests, and the nature of curriculum alignment.…

Sound testing practices and the high-quality information that can result are helpful to those who have oversight, responsibility, or interest in American education. To the extent that tests provide high-quality information, they form the basis for making accurate judgments about individual students. It is equally true, however, that factors which…

Comments on an article in a previous issue of this journal (v9 n3 1972). (CJ)