Including the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) in a school testing program should be the result of careful planning and formulation of goals. The investment may, however, be worth the advantages that can be achieved by providing students with information that may help them formulate individual educational and vocational goals and make related…

This discussion of the results from the probability questions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) identifies probability as an area of serious concern. (MP) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Interpretation).

The Adult Performance Level Test, a minimum competency test developed by the Texas Department of Education, measures student skill and knowledge levels in competencies necessary for successful living in a modern society. (MJB)

This article supports Edward Haertel's views on inappropriate use of student test scores in evaluating teachers. Tests scores may identify a few incompetent teachers, but may bring new ailments to schools. The article argues that even the system proposed by Haertal may become subject to abuse by mechanistic or autocratic administrative practices.…

Administrators can improve the test scores at their schools by working with teachers so that they understand the purpose of the testing and by developing a plan for communicating with parents and the community about the testing program. (MLF)

It is argued that publishers of achievement tests, especially those who publish tests intended for use in many parts of the United States, are for the most part not in a position to obtain any decent evidence about the consequences of the uses that are made of their tests. What responsibilities and actions publishers can reasonably be expected to…

This overview of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests is designed to help schools implement the Massachusetts"Curriculum Frameworks." For this fourth administration of the MCAS tests in 2001, the design of the tests remains essentially the same, but there are some changes highlighted in this overview. The first…

Inclusive assessment and accountability for all students with disabilities has been a significant focus of educators for the past six years. Yet only 35 states reported 1999-2000 test results for students with disabilities on some of their state assessments. Although the areas of assessment and accountability are just one focus of IDEA 1997 and…

This paper provides a brief history of attempts to monitor testing in the United States. It describes proposals for monitoring from the first attempts in the 1920s to similar proposals in the 1990s. The discussion focuses on: (1) Giles Ruche's proposal for a consumer research bureau on tests; (2) Oscar K. Burros' reviews of tests and efforts to…

Test scores reflect students' abilities in the specific areas examined. The use of these scores in an educationally meaningful way can result in improved guidance services. (CK)

Typescript excerpts from group counseling sessions suggest that schools of education need to pitch their teaching and testing at higher cognitive levels. Giving primary attention to the bare knowledge or memory level is not only ineffective but also an unnecessary source of resentment among students. (Author)

The amount of testing in U.S. schools is substantial. A strong testing program is seen as one of the major factors in effective schools. The authority of a testing program can be enhanced by teacher involvement, specialists' endorsement, formal adoption by a school, and promotion by a principal. (NJ)

Presents a test that teaches test-taking strategies and that can be used to reduce students' test anxiety. (AEA)

Describes a program to certify state and district judges of high school debate tournaments. Covers constructing the written test, evaluating the ballot test, implementing certification, and assessing the program. (PD)

Standardized testing is here to stay. Critics are serving a useful purpose in that they force users to examine benefits and the drawbacks. This process has an inevitable spinoff effect since almost every user of standardized tests is involved in a classroom situation where informal testing is ongoing. (Author)