When criterion-referenced tests are used to assign examinees to states reflecting their performance level on a test, the better known methods for determining test length, which consider relationships among domain scores and errors of measurement, have their limitations. The purpose of this paper is to present a computer system named TESTLEN, which…

Judgments that favorably set an individual apart from others tend to be made more rapidly, suggesting that the self-concept is both an effective and a cognitive entity. Subjects rated the self-applicability of traits on a 100-point scale. As in other studies using dichotomous judgements, judgement speed increased with increasing self-applicability…

The paper outlines identification and social problems regarding the gifted bilingual bicultural student and offers suggestions to parents and teachers for alleviating those problems. Noted among problems in identification is that minority students may not exhibit behaviors and characteristics which are recognized as manifestation of talents and…

Perspectives on the evaluation of college teaching are considered. Some of the conditions that are needed generally include the following: the existence of an evaluation system that has a process for evaluating research and service, a clear definition of the difference between the evaluation of worth and the evaluation of merit, and a separate…

Changes in kindergarten education in the United States from its inception to the present and reasons for the historical changes are explored. Froebel's approach to kindergarten education is described and the introduction of kindergarten programs in the United States by various sponsors such as the Women's Temperance Union, churches, and settlement…

Observations were made while psychologically evaluating Korean school children in the greater Chicago area. The observations were drawn from work with Korean children who were referred for psychological evaluation because of learning or behavioral/emotional problems. Initial demographic data was taken describing the children's age, length of time…

The selective learning hypothesis holds that individuals' learning of prose passages will be affected in varying ways by the passages' threatening or unpleasant content. To test this hypothesis, 19 college students read six prose passages--three containing threatening material and three nonthreatening--and then completed a cloze test for each…

Reading comprehension tests usually contain reading passages followed by multiple choice questions about the passages; but one potential weakness of this format is that the questions may be "passage independent," answerable without necessarily reading the passage first. When examining this phenomenon by assessing a particular test, the…

This volume, one in a series on modern language testing, collects four essays dealing with current approaches to lanquage testing. The introduction traces the development of language testing theory and examines the role of linguistics in this area. "The Psycholinguistic Basis," by E. Ingram, discusses some interpretations of the term…

Language testing must be an integral component of any foreign language program. It should relate closely to the objectives of the program so that students are tested on what they practice in the classroom. Although language testing during the past few decades has been concerned primarily with measuring only linguistic knowledge, more consideration…

A series of short courses was presented on various aspects of curriculum practice to enable teachers to review and reconsider established practices, to acquire knowledge of recent and impending developments, and to gain experience in the techniques involved. This collection of rewritten versions of lectures given at these classes is divided into…

Three papers--by educational economists Kurt L. Kendis, Steven J. Klees, and Alan P. Wagner--independently examine the economic impact of college credit by examination (CBE) on students, institutions, and higher educational systems. Major issues are identified and further research topics are suggested. Kendis suggests the following results of CBE:…

This article discusses the potential for discrimination inherent in competency-based testing and suggests some provisions which might be included in a fair competency-based program. Discussed are: (1) racial discrimination; (2) inadequate phase-in periods; (3) tests which are not reliable or have not been validated; (4) inadequate matching of the…

The development and norming of a Spanish language edition of the United States Employment Service (USES) General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) is described. The new edition, called the Bateria de Examenes de Aptitud General (BEAG), was designed to replace an earlier translation, the BGPA, prepared for use in Puerto Rico. Forms A and B were…

The effect of anxiety on learning in a variety of educational contexts is reviewed in general, and two areas of anxiety research especially relevant to educational psychology are reviewed in detail. The first is test anxiety reduction programs, and the second is the outcomes of these programs and the interaction between anxiety and instructional…