Between fall 1980 and fall 1981, the procedures for collegewide testing and English placement were revised at Los Angeles City College (LACC). Separate examinations were offered to native English speakers (i.e., the Stanford Achievement Test) and those whose primary language was not English (i.e., the English Placement Test of the University of…

One of the two major phases of the Test Use Project of the Center for the Study of Evalaution (CSE) is discussed; that is, the collection and analyses of survey data from a national sample of teachers and principals representing the targeted grades/schools. Some historical background influencing that phase of the project is provided. The findings…

This booklet is planned to help teachers, parents, students, and community members to understand concepts and research relating to testing in public schools. Three general uses--public access, accountability, and standards--relate to testing in its broadest conception. The major purposes of tests are discussed, as are some different types of…

The three parts of a theory used in the design of a language proficiency test--linguistic components, communicative skills, and the sociolinguistic domain--are described in relation to language proficiency and testing models. In line with this discussion, a review of test formats is made with some assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of…

A major avenue for dissemination of information among members of a profession is via the professional, scholarly literature published in the major journals within a field. If the role of the school psychologist is changing, this change should be reflected in the current literature. An earlier study traced the published issues and concerns…

This anthology contains 50 outstanding articles published in the "Phi Delta Kappa" journal over the past 25 years. Topics by which the articles are organized include controversial topics in education, educational change, criticism, leadership, the education profession, British imports (the open classroom and teachers' centers), urban…

The Wisconsin Pupil Assessment Program is a testing service which provides the State of Wisconsin with: (1) a measure of student performance in selected academic areas by developing objective-referenced tests in reading, mathematics, economic understanding, and writing; (2) a comparison of Wisconsin public school students to the rest of the nation…

This publication provides vocational evaluators with guidelines to help facilitate selection and purchase of work samples. It describes some of the essential elements of a well-constructed or "model" work sample (as defined in Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association [VEWAA]-Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation…

The Multnomah County Education Service District (MCESD) provides the following support services to the 12 school districts in its jurisdiction in the metropolitan Portland area: (1) curricular support in terms of developing measurable goals and objectives; (2) support for nationally and locally developed group tests; (3) development and field…

The overall purpose of the national Head Start evaluation is to assess the impact, on the children and parents being served, of: (1) the educational services component of Head Start, and (2) a new demonstration program within Head Start, Basic Educational Skills (BES). The evaluation deals with a total of 65 Head Start programs and their families.…

A simulation study to determine appropriate linking methods for adaptive testing items was designed. Three basic data sets for responses were created. These were randomly sampled, systematically sampled, and selected data sets. The evaluative criteria used were fidelity of parameter estimation, asymptotic ability estimates, root-mean-square error…

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…