The Eindtoets Basisonderwijs (final primary school test) is a Dutch national achievement test taken annually by 90,000 pupils. This article overviews the Dutch educational system and describes this testing program, emphasizing test equating methods. Evaluation findings from 1980 and resulting changes in test content and evaluation reports are also…

Results of factor and correlational analyses of the Ethical Behavior Rating Scale (EBRS) are reported. The test-retest method and internal consistency estimates yielded reliability coefficients. Construct validity was determined by correlating the EBRS with items from the Ethical Reasoning Inventory. The EBRS reflects the behavioral aspects of…

Sato's Caution Index is a method of analyzing item response patterns independently of total test score to provide diagnostic information about students. This research supports the validity of the diagnostic interpretations of the Index when compared to graduate students' self evaluation. (Author/BS)

Describes a method for making standardized test results more useful for teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents by providing information on the test content actually mastered by the student and on the student's individual development over time, as well as providing traditional numerical and norm-referenced scores. (PGD)

Practical considerations associated with local norms development are discussed. A local norming project administering the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised to 398 elementary Mexican--American children is presented in detail. The utility of local norms and their interpretation is discussed in the context of this local project. (Author/BW)

Twenty-one studies that reported mean score differences between the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Full Scale are summarized. The differences are found to be minimal and are attributed to data bias and WJTCA's higher correlation with achievement. (EGS)

Discusses methods of sampling the best information from instruction/training developers/candidates for professional certification and examines the problems of interpreting that information and making classification decisions. Assessment strategies including criterion-referenced, multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions, and portfolio…

Linguistic and statistical analyses of cloze tests as a measure of second language competence revealed qualitative and quantitative differences between the performances of Anglophone immersion and French control groups. The diagnostic limitations of the procedure and the usefulness of the linguistic information derived from it are discussed. (MSE)

This discussion of achievement tests examines the relationship between curriculum and nationally standardized test scores. The mathematics curriculum and achievement scores of second through eighth grade children in a suburban community are presented as an example of the discrepancy in emphasis that may exist between curriculum and achievement…

Psychologists must often make decisions about the significance of scaled score differences between subtests on the WISC-R. Differences which are statistically significant at the .05 and .01 level are presented. Cautions concerning the interpretation of statistically significant differences are discussed. (Author)

WISC-Rs and Stanford-Binets were administered to 50 children with developmental disabilities referred for comprehensive evaluations. Fifty-four percent of the children received different classifications using the two instruments. Different classifications of intellectual level may be derived for the same child depending upon which test is used.…

Parents are often asked to complete behavioral checklists and personality inventories regarding their children when they bring them in for psychotherapy or neuropsychological testing. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Conners' Parent Report Scale (CPRS), and the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) are frequently used tests. Some…

Passing scores for licensure and certification tests are justified by showing that decisions based on the passing score achieve the purposes of the credentialing program while avoiding any serious negative consequences. The passing score is justified to the extent decisions based on it have positive consequences. More specifically, the standard…

This study investigates a linking of the 1991 International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP) and the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessments. Data to allow such a linking were collected in 1992 from students in the United States who were administered both instruments. Modeling was done using a…

In 1999, Rhode Island students in grades 3, 7, and 10 took a performance assessment in writing as part of the Rhode Island State Assessment Program. These two documents, a guide for educators and a guide for parents, describe the test and its scoring. The test is called a performance assessment because it requires the students to demonstrate their…