In 1984, the Connecticut General Assembly established mastery tests in mathematics and language arts (listening, reading, and writing skills) for grades 4, 6, and 8. A criterion-referenced test was considered most appropriate for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of every student. The specific skills to be mastered were identified by…

Results of the third administration of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP), a statewide testing program for fourth-, eighth-, and 12th-grade students, are summarized. The assessment contains multiple-choice and open-ended questions in reading. mathematics, science, and social studies. In 1990, approximately 155,000 students…

This manual contains preliminary information, largely of a technical nature, about the enhanced American College Testing (ACT) Program introduced in October 1989. It focuses primarily on the tests of educational development, the component of the program that has been substantially revised. Although one-third of the ACT Interest Inventory Items has…

The Annual Test Report, 1981-82 has been developed as a reference on the results of the California Achievement Tests (CAT) in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The report contains several analyses of the results from the CAT administration in Grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. Overall countywide results are presented and they are also broken down…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of information among members of the National Council for Research and Planning (NCRP), this journal provides articles on various aspects of community college research, management, and planning. The two issues of volume 6 contain the following articles: (1) "The President's Forum: What Have We Accomplished?" by…

In 1985, for the first time, Pennsylvania's student assessment program included measures of a higher order thinking skills goal termed Analytical Thinking. These tests utilize a decision-making model to assess such skills as drawing inferences, identifying appropriate information to gather before making a decision, analogical reasoning,…

In 1985, reading and mathematics achievement tests were administered to nearly 15,000 fourth and eighth graders in Alaska. Educators comprising the Interpretive Panel developed a minimum and a desired level of performance. Scores below the minimum indicated a weakness; scores above it, a strength, and scores between, satisfactory achievement. The…

This paper is a combination of two separate essays, both of which examine changes in standards for student and teacher performance in various states over the past two years. Part 1 examines changes in standards for graduation from high school and the introduction or expansion of statewide programs of testing. Changes in the overall units for…

This report of a national colloquium on promoting community college student success summarizes group discussions and provides the texts of six colloquium presentations. Chapter 1, "Leadership Strategies for Student Success: Issues and Challenges in the Community College," reports on small and large group discussions which sought to define student…

The agreement between Mantel-Haenszel and Rasch procedures for identifying differential item functioning (DIF) on teacher certification tests was studied. Two specific research questions were addressed: (1) whether the Mantel-Haenszel and Rasch procedures identify the same items as functioning differently; and (2) how consistently each method…

This handbook is intended to assist educational and other institutions to meet the requirements of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984 by developing and/or enhancing vocational assessment services for special populations throughout Colorado. The first section outlines the purposes, strategies, and outcomes of the vocational…

Part of a series of eight student learning modules in vocational agriculture, this booklet deals with evaluation of livestock. It contains sections on carcass evaluation, the evaluation of performance and production, and the design of livestock production facilities. Each of the first two sections has a glossary, and all three conclude with a…

Interest scales designed to provide educational and vocational guidance to midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy were developed from the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. Three of the scales provided an index of similarity between a person's interests and the interests of previous graduates from each of the Academy's three academic areas:…

This two-part report describes the developmental studies program at Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) and provides a summary of 1980-81 use figures and evaluations for LAPC's Study Skills Center. After noting the increasing need for developmental studies, the report indicates the methods used to assess students' reading, writing, and mathematics…

The joint supervisory and teacher education staffs developed criteria and surveyed needed agricultural competencies as a basis for course building. Teacher educators developed unit outlines for pilot programs in off-farm agricultural occupations conducted in Lafayette, Shelby County, Daviess County, and Reidland high schools. A quasi-experimental…