Discusses issues surrounding classroom-based assessment of writing. Describes the author's own experiences in developing and using a formative evaluation system for middle school students with learning problems; and discusses issues related to the linkage between assessment and instruction. Suggests matters of technical adequacy are as important…

Traces the history of standardized testing in the United States and reviews the differing views of testing advanced over the years. Illustrates some controversies and pendulum swings evident in two test uses, grade-to-grade promotion and college admissions. (SLD)

When used appropriately, standardized assessments can assist education reform by tracking individual or group progress and achievement levels and indicating college readiness. Credibility and validity can be improved by preventing student exclusions, using multiple indicators, stressing year-to-year performance, monitoring consequences, and…

Describes three areas in which the graduate community is vulnerable to substandard practice when using Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores in decision processes: percentile versus raw scores, cut-off scores, and summed scores. Asserts that the graduate community is generally unaware that raw scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical…

Growth in Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) scores and Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) reading, math, and total achievement scores from 3rd to 10th grade was studied in 328 public school students in a middle-class suburban community. Surprisingly, groups differing in ability and achievement in 3rd grade made parallel progress over time,…

Two types of test scores are often used for determining eligibility for early intervention services: standard scores and developmental-age scores. Because they are derived using different methods, these two types of scores do not provide equivalent information. Characteristics of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests and the scores…

This paper argues for an expanded conception of test validity, in which teachers, as end-users of tests, contribute a distinctive perspective on validity, referred to as inferential validity. It also offers a methodology that could be adopted in order to subject this dimension of validity to scrutiny. An investigation conducted into the meanings…

This article reports on how an incorrectly graded licensing exam for prospective teachers has stalled hiring in some places, sent school districts rummaging through employment records, and spawned at least one lawsuit so far. Those affected by the mistake range from 35 test-takers in Georgia to roughly 1200 in Ohio. Eighteen states use the Praxis…

This article presents the author's comments on ""Lake Woebegone," Twenty Years Later" by J. J. Cannell, MD. J. J. Cannell's article on the so-called "Lake Woebegone" effect for K-12 educational testing systems is mostly an historical account of technical issues and policy considerations that led in part to development…

As developer and custodian of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) is responsible for ensuring that its use meets established professional standards. Considering the logistical problems of overseeing the use of the GATB at more than 2,000 separate sites, the USDOL has confronted a monumental task in the…

This study examined initial evidence of changes in fit to a unidimensional model for some language tests at multiple ability levels. Seven data sets were analyzed using the first phase of exploratory factor analysis: principal component eigenvalue extraction. Each data set is analyzed at varying n-sizes: whole group; random subsample; and five…

The reliability and validity of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) was studied with 675 adolescents aged 12 to 18 recruited from clinical and community sources. The STAIC is a self-report measure that has been widely used to assess state and trait anxiety of children. It has been suggested that the child version may be more…

Work Keys provides a metric that translates skill requirements for individual jobs into levels of proficiency. It has been developed as a multifunctional program with the interactive components of Job Profiling, Instructional Support, Reporting, and Assessment. The assessment component contains applied mathematics, applied technology, teamwork,…

The Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) is a semi-direct performance-based speaking test that emulates the face-to-face Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) as closely as practical, using a tape recording and printed test booklet. The prototypical SOPI contains simple personal background questions typical of an initial encounter (warm-up) and…

This paper reports the results of an analysis of the relationship between scorer behaviors and score variability. Thirty-six essay scorers were interviewed and asked to perform a think-aloud task as they scored 24 essays. Each comment made by a scorer was coded according to its content focus (i.e. appearance, assignment, mechanics, communication,…