Teacher education is faced with critical problems, including establishing its own credibility. One assumption often made is that other professions do a more creditable job of monitoring those who enter their ranks and that teacher education might profit by emulating those groups who have been presumably more successful. The concept of relicensing…

The methodology for validating assessment techniques in a performance-based liberal arts curriculum was studied at Alverno College. Two generic instruments for assessing the competencies of "communications" and "valuing" were employed. A generic instrument is defined as one that assesses a competence level across content areas…

This study investigates the extent to which beginning to advanced students of English as a second language (ESL) understand antecedent/anaphora relationships in written discourse. The findings are related to previous research on anaphoric reference in first and second language contexts, emphasizing the significance of this factor in measurement of…

This study investigates two fixed parameter models for calibrating test items for an item bank under local school district control. Mathematics, reading, and language tests administered to students (Grades 7-9) provided the criterion information. Model I used calibrations from the Northwest Evaluation Association Item Bank to calibrate new items…

In the 1983-84 school year, the Michigan State Board of Education conducted a survey of early childhood programs in all of the state's school districts. A total of 518 districts, or 93 percent, responded. Of these, 161 districts indicated that they had a 2-year developmental program for children who were old enough to enter kindergarten but were…

The University of Texas at Austin conducted a validity study of the College Board Achievement Test in Russian Listening-Reading during the 1986-87 academic year. The test, a multiple-choice test with audio-taped and reading portions, was administered to 298 students in 22 sections of 8 courses in Russian. The purpose was to revalidate the test as…

The 50-item Bickley Assessment of Self Esteem (BASE) is an experimental instrument designed to measure the self-esteem of children enrolled in early childhood education. In addition to yielding an overall measure of a child's self-esteem, the BASE attempts to measure the child's general orientation toward academics, toward his or her teachers, and…

Several issues should be considered in selecting assessment instruments and procedures for use in adult literacy programs. Teachers must consider the purpose of the assessment; the appropriateness of the assessment instrument for adults; the reliability, validity, and practicality of the instrument; whether the assessment is culturally sensitive;…

The autonomous model of literacy--including its two features autonomy of text and autonomy of skill, which have been particularly influential in reading assessment--does not account for important aspects of reading. The pragmatic model of literacy accounts more adequately for how readers respond to text. An analysis of the 1976 and 1987 versions…

The effectiveness of the "read-comp" technique in assessing writing ability and the usefulness of a rubric and procedure devised for scoring read-comp samples and essays were evaluated. Subjects were 100 freshman students enrolled in general and remedial English classes in a 6-week summer session at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.…

A new computer-based approach for teaching counselors about predictive validity and how to use tests in clinical decision making was developed and tested. The approach is based on concepts similar to those used in inferential statistics, particularly statistical hypothesis testing. To implement this model, the counselor must: (1) determine the…

The extent of inaccuracy in student coding of race on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) forms and the effect of inaccurate coding and non-coding on results for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools are assessed. The County maintains a database that includes each student's race as designated by the student's parent on the school registration…

Two reforms are suggested as ways to improve standardized testing. They are Truth-in-Testing legislation and the Golden Rule bias reduction principle. Test publishers, state departments of education, and colleges who administer tests are often reluctant to provide statistical data on test results. It is also difficult for researchers to see test…

Magnet schools have become increasingly popular as alternatives to traditional curriculum offerings and as tools to promote voluntary desegregation in urban school districts. Most evaluations of magnet schools have been concerned with monitoring objectives and compliance with regulations. Few reports assess the impact of magnet curricula on…

TEMAS is an apperception test depicting Hispanic and Black characters (minority version) or White characters (non-minority version) interacting in urban settings and expressing culturally oriented themes. It is scored for cognitive, affective, and personality functioning. The normative profiles, reliability, and criterion-related validity of TEMAS…