Student withdrawal from the University of Iowa was studied using an exit survey. Students' reasons for leaving the university, their future plans, and possible interventions that would have assisted the student to remain in school were assessed, along with the validity of the survey. Although there was only 62 percent agreement between the exit…

To determine whether admission interviews could differentiate commitment, 456 applicants from 2 medical schools were tested on the commitment, 456 applicants from two medical schools were tested on the Defining Issues Test, which measures the amount of principled or postconventional moral reasoning. The participating institutions were two Israeli…

Until recently, older workers have not been recognized as a group requiring special attention in the area of fair employment practices. Thus, progress has been slow towards the development of valid and reliable indices of performance which are applicable across the life span. Research shows that many measures of employee evaluation provide no…

The validity of American College Testing (ACT) scores and self-reported high school grades in predicting college freshman grade average is documented, and the accuracy of prediction equations based on these measures is reported for institutions of differing freshman class size, affiliation, degree level, and racial/ethnic composition. Results are…

Arguing that educational testing has not grown with the theory and knowledge base of the reading field, this paper cites the current configuration of testing as a major contributor to the instructional stagnation, methodological back-to-basics movement, and general lack of excitement and true innovation found in classrooms and schools today. The…

This report presents a comprehensive discussion of issues affecting the use of ethnographic research methods in bilingual education classroom research. Quantitative methods alone have not provided an adequate understanding of how the bilingual classroom operates, the meaningful features of the classroom, how children learn, and what…

Issues pertaining to the validity of student ratings of teaching effectiveness are considered, and research results are evaluated. The following extraneous variables that affect student ratings but are not under the control or influence of the teacher are examined: class size, initial student motivation, academic field, teacher characteristics,…

Twenty-four high schools in 18 Georgia school systems were selected to participate in a project to check the potential validity, reliability, usefulness, and costs of several direct and indirect measures of writing: holistic, analytic, primary trait, writing mechanics (error counts), and indirect measures (objective multiple choice items). Another…

Set against the backdrop of a decade in which college admissions test scores have declined, this report reviews issues affecting college admissions testing and their implications, and focuses specifically on the debate between the makers and supporters of standardized tests and test critics. Overviews of the College Entrance Examination Board's…

This handbook, in two parts, constitutes a manual prepared by the American Federation of Teachers, for improving teachers' use of standardized tests. Part I outlines basic concepts and issues surrounding standardized testing for teachers, parents and school administrators. The terms norm-referenced tests, criterion referenced tests, minimum…

The questionnaires or course evaluation forms (CEF) are routinely administered to university students to obtain information about the quality of courses and instructor effectiveness. There is an extensive variety of formats but many use a combination of Likert-type items and open-ended questions. Percentages, but more often means and standard…

As a supplement to standardized reading tests, the Philadelphia Public School System prepared three parallel sets of reading tests to meet the following criteria: (1) be suitable for grouping secondary pupils within Title I reading classes; (2) be group administered and machine scoreable; (3) be short enough to be administered in one or two…

The York University Biology Achievement Test (YUBAT) and its use in the Metropolitan Toronto (Ontario) schools were examined. YUBAT was compared with the province's grade 13 biology curriculum guideline, and with representative courses and textbooks. This analysis revealed much similarity between the test, courses, and two textbooks used. The…

A variety of terms related to test bias or test fairness have been used in a variety of ways, but in this document the "fair use of tests" is defined as equitable selection procedures by means of intact tests, and "test item bias" refers to the study of separate items with respect to the tests of which they are a part. Seven…

The Adaptive Behavior Scale, as developed, contains 10 domains of behavior reflecting independent functioning and social-emotional responsibility in Part One, and 14 domains of behavior appraising social-emotional adaptation in Part Two. The establishment of construct validity and standardization of the Scale for use with normal and handicapped…