Even in an educational tests and measurements classroom it is possible to stimulate student creativity and divergent thinking. Examples of projects and test constructions are given to provide food for thought for the creative teacher. (JN)

Citing experience with declining ability in Navy personnel, Admiral Rickover calls for a redirection of the schools toward intellectual development, with improved academic standards and objective measures of student performance. He advocates a federal panel to establish model standards and tests in the basic skills. (SJL)

The author, Assistant HEW Secretary for Education, reviews some of the evidence and recommendations on declining achievement in American schools, especially the National Academy of Education report, "Improving Educational Achievement." She examines point-by-point the current proposal for a national standards panel and a national…

The effects of student teaching and the pretesting of attitudes on student teachers' attitudes were studied. Results suggested that pretesting of attitudes was detrimental to attitude improvement. Appropriate designs for assessing changes in attitudes were discussed. (Author/MH)

Describes the functional/notional approach to language instruction, discussing key features, misconceptions, and practical applications of the model. (AM)

Nearly all high school students in the Choctaw School System (Mississippi), which operates without a curriculum or a comprehensive evaluation program, function below grade level. Minimum competency evaluation revealed that as many as 50 percent of those entering high school need remedial instruction. There are implications for educational change.…

Describes the work of the Speech Communication Association Task Force on Minimal Speaking and Listening Competencies for High School Graduates and provides recommended minimal speaking and listening competencies and implications for further curriculum development and research. (JMF)

This article discusses an experiment carried out with university English as foreign language students to test the validity of multiple choice examinations for reading comprehension. (CFM)

Outlines some recent developments in test-item analysis which are based upon a model of educational measurement developed by the Danish mathematician Georg Rasch. Illustrations of how science teachers in the United Kingdom can use the Rasch model are also included. (HM)

The benefits of using essay tests rather than objective tests in professional education programs are discussed. Essay tests offer practice in writing, creativity and formal communications. Guidelines for using and scoring a sample essay test in biology are presented. (BH)

Discusses the need for mathematics teaching to be matched to children's understanding rather than to the demands of mathematics. Illustrations are given from the results of testing British children by the Concepts in Secondary Mathematics and Science (CSMS) Project, Chelsea College, University of London. (HM)

The author presents the Important Considerations Survey (ICS), an economical means of estimating the moral reasoning power of students age 12 or over. (Author)

Counselors must recognize that most intelligence tests measure a sample of the childs' intellectual functioning on a variety of tasks rather than innate potential. Intelligence varies depending on personality, development, and environmental influences. (Author/HLM)

Widespread support for the National Forum on Assessment's 1995 "Principles and Indicators" shows deep desire for a radical reconstruction of student assessment practices. Assessment to enhance student learning should rest on certain foundations: an understanding of how student learning occurs; clear statements of desired, universal…

Investigated the effects of text modification and task on incidental learning of foreign-language vocabulary by reading. The study focuses on how different cue types and a task would affect processing of input, initial learning, and retention of the meaning of target words. Results indicate that single and multiple-choice marginal gloss conditions…