This paper: (1) reviews the development and implementation of a test designed to assess the competencies of public high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, preceding their graduation; and (2) presents the results of indicator cluster correlations between the new "Basic Skills Tests" and other reading and mathematics basal tests…

A French-English guide to French diagnostic reading tests for French immersion classes, grades one through three, is presented. The "tests diagnostiques de lecture" are designed to indicate strengths and weaknesses in silent reading performance in French for early French immersion pupils in Canada and to integrate this information into…

Test item selection techniques based on traditional item analysis methods were compared to techniques based on item response theory. The consistency of mastery classifications in criterion referenced reading tests was examined. Pretest and posttest data were available for 945 first and second grade students and for 1796 fourth to sixth grade…

The purpose of this study was to (1) develop and validate criterion-referenced tests to measure science knowledge of students who finished the fifth grade, as well as those who finished the three cycles of the General Education and (2) to assess the performance on these tests of a national, random sample of fourth-, sixth-, seventh-, and…

In the late 1970s, the Department of Defense requested that the reference population for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) be changed and updated to reflect the current youth population. Analyses of new data collected in 1980 indicated that speeded subtest scores of the new sample were atypically low and that the sample might…

Validation of an Air Force vocational interest inventory in the enlisted force was conducted to develop improved job placement techniques with a view toward practical application of results during initial counseling and job placement of enlisted personnel. The Vocational Interest-Career Examination (VOICE) was administered to 18,000 recruits…

To assess the stability of the Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal score scale SAT--V, 1963 and 1973 forms of the SAT--V were administered in counterbalanced order to spaced samples of the same group. The 1973 scores were placed on the reporting scale used for the 1963 form. The experimentally derived scores on the 1963 scale were compared with their…

Discussions of any test must focus on reliability, content validity, and interpretation of results. In this critique of On Further Examination--the report of the Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Score Decline--the National Education Association (NEA) finds no fault with the reliability of the SAT. Its content validity, however,…

The content and utility of two models of reading comprehension tests, the basic skills assessment model and the multiple choice cloze (MCC) model, are discussed. The basic reading competency model assesses the ability to read or infer "basic" meanings from a range of written or symbolic communication, as is necessary for daily living in…

Student evaluations of teacher effectiveness have been accepted by instructors as helpful indicators of performance, but their validity and use in tenure and promotion decisions has been questioned by faculty. Students and instructors in 207 social science courses completed evaluations of instructional effectiveness at the conclusion of the…

Categorizing Teacher Behavior, developed to measure acquisition of concepts portrayed in the Concepts and Patterns in Teacher-Pupil Interaction film series, measures the ability to identify and categorize instances of the specificed concepts as they are portrayed in reasonably complex filmed classroom interactions. The film series itself is based…

Content validity involves a judgment that all knowledges, skills, abilities, and other worker characteristics (KSAOs) needed for successful job performance (or a specified portion, the job content domain), have been adequately sampled by the tests used for employee selection and promotion decision making. The model outlines the procedure for…

Among the new testing developments are the use of objectives or goals in instruction, competency based approaches to instruction, criterion referenced testing, and performance oriented testing. These new approaches often emphasize individualized learning; each student's progress is individually monitored by comparison with clear statements of what…

This study attempts to determine the extent to which performance on educational tests is dependent upon language proficiency. Three questions are involved: (1) Will the dictation and the cloze tests prove to be as successful in distinguishing degrees of proficiency among native speakers as among second language learners? (2) How well will scores…

The results and methodology of the South Carolina 1977-78 statewide spring testing program for grades 3, 6, and 11 are presented and discussed. The discussion of the results focuses on a comparison of the 1978 results to national norms, a comparison of 1978 to 1977 results, a performance comparison across grade levels, and a comparison of skill…