The Arkansas Educational Assessment Program (AEAP) was initiated in 1979 when the Arkansas legislature passed Act 666, the Education Assessment Act. AEAP provides meaningful data on student achievements to educators, legislators, parents and citizens on the status and progress of Arkansas basic skills education. This information assists schools in…

As part of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, 132 preprimary objectives were developed in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. Volunteer teachers assessed the attainment of these skills in their kindergarten children. A profile on each student was designed to report skill attainment to first grade teachers and parents. The…

The increasing use of criterion referenced testing (CRT) among the various branches of the federal government is described. The requirements of the merit system have tended to promote the use of norm referenced tests except for uses such as pass/fail performance tests. The two areas in which criterion-referenced tests have been most useful are…

Sample test questions are given for the Proficiency Testing Program adopted by the Idaho State Department of Education. Except for the writing skills test item, which requires a writing sample, all questions are objective, multiple choice items. Sample questions are given for reading, spelling, and mathematics. (MH)

Information regarding state minimum competency testing programs was requested from the 50 state departments of education in the United States in the spring of 1979. The following questions were asked: (1) Do you have a testing program? (2) If you do, what tests are being used? (3) Do you have a testing program in the planning stages? (4) Are there…

As the result of the installation of the Certificate of Secondary Education, some method was needed for examining the student in history, one of the subjects constituting the work for the certificate. This report is the result of a study to define and outline what a part of the larger history exam should be, the individual term paper or…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/S) was the nationally standardized, norm-referenced test selected for the Idaho Statewide Testing Program for 1976-77. It provided basic skills measures in reading, language, mathematics, total battery, reference skills, science and social studies. Students in the 4th, 8th and 11th grades from 51 of…

Stanford Achievement Test scores of 1,434 elementary-level students already placed in either regular or special education programs were arranged according to four cutoff points: 20th, 15th, 10th, and 5th percentiles. This identification method, setting the cutoff at the 5 percent level, is proposed as a preliminary screening device for special…

Foresees a dramatic impact on student assessment for both placement and instruction by rapidly changing technology. Considers the use of computers in pretesting, placement, vocational interests/aptitude assessment, special population tests, diagnostic assessment, linking assessment and instruction, scoring tests and generating data, and providing…

Reviews the process whereby Metropolitan State College (Colorado) developed a series of recommendations concerning the assessment of student learning. Discusses problems encountered and offers a sampling to show the style and detail of the recommendations. (DMM)

Aspects of practical assessment such as question design and management of the assessment are discussed. Reference is made to some of the problems and to the possibilities for innovation as a result of implementing practical assessment of the kind required by the General Certificate of Secondary Education examining groups. (CW)

State legislative action to control and reward teaching quality has resulted in the coming of age of systematic teacher performance evaluation for certification, merit pay, or career ladder advancement decisions. This article overviews issues of credibility and practicality--including test design, validity, and reliability--which arise when…

This report is the sixth analysis of state reports conducted by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) to examine the extent to which states publicly report information about students with disabilities in statewide assessments. Descriptions of statewide testing systems are presented and examined as to whether these systems included…

All states are addressing the problems of accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL's) in state assessment systems, but Massachusetts is noteworthy for the way in which it handles this problem. Since the early 1980s, over 40 states have created a statewide assessment program. Testing in these states is typically modeled on the National…

This technical manual provides all major existing information about the technical characteristics of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The assessment component of the Kentucky Education Reform Act Accountability System was in use between 1991-92 and 1993-94 and was referred to as Cycle One. Two sets of test…