In 1991, a study was conducted to determine the differential effects of placement testing on cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groupings in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). The study was conducted in two parts. The first part examined the characteristics of the students used to norm the Comparative Guidance Program (CGP) tests used…

Some of the issues faced by institutions as they attempt to design a system of constructs that reflects the diversity of their schools are addressed. The choice of statistic, percentage passing versus mean, used in reporting test results can impact the allocation of services to subpopulations in the school. Percent passing statistics tend to focus…

An analysis and summary are presented of the 1989-90 test results of New Mexico students on the Enhanced American College Testing Program (Enhanced ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Data were provided by the American College Testing Program, the Educational Testing Service, and the New Mexico High School Graduates Survey. The Enhanced…

Results of the seventh year of testing by the Pupil Assessment Program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1982, objective-referenced tests in science, mathematics, and geometry were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, 11, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests…

GRE verbal and quantitative scores and undergraduate grade point average were evaluated as predictors of multiple measures of long-term graduate school success. The measures of success were cumulative graduate grade point average and faculty ratings on three student characteristics: mastery of the discipline, professional productivity, and…

More than a dozen statistical models have been developed for the purpose of cognitive diagnosis. These models are supposed to extract a much finer level of information from item responses than traditional unidimensional item response models. In this paper, a general diagnostic model (GDM) was used to analyze a set of simulated sparse data and real…

This study explores the utility of analytic scoring for the TOEFL® Academic Speaking Test (TAST) in providing useful and reliable diagnostic information in three aspects of candidates' performance: delivery, language use, and topic development. G studies were used to investigate the dependability of the analytic scores, the distinctness of the…

A study investigated a decline in student achievement and related issues that was associated with a drop of 1.60 points on the mean achievement scores of 9th graders attending high school in Kosrae, Micronesia on the Secondary Level English Proficiency test. Research questions included the following: (1) What knowledge and skills are emphasized at…

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between academic achievement and demographic and school background variables for school districts and school buildings and to develop from these relationships a basis for comparing achievement at similar schools. The sample consisted of Iowa public school districts that participated in…

This document combines and consolidates the following statistical reports published separately prior to 1983-84: (1) "The Status of Education" (formerly the Superintendent's Annual Statistical Report); (2) "Selected Statistical Information--Individual Dade County Public Schools"; (3) "Ethnic Characteristics of Students and…

Results of the 1987 assessments of grades 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11 in South Carolina public schools are summarized. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U, was administered to 222,956 South Carolina students in these grades. Achievement levels of grades 4, 5, and 7 were above the national median in all seven areas tested (reading, spelling,…

In 1988 a study was conducted to determine the validity of candidate teacher licensure examinations for use in Tennessee under the 1984 Comprehensive Education Reform Act. The Department of Education conducted a study to determine the validity of 11 previously unvalidated or extensively revised tests for certification and to make recommendations…

A review of research on the cognitive, linguistic, and scholastic development of mainland Hispanic-American children paints a dismal overall picture. Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, 11% of the population in 1986; about 75% have Mexican ancestry. Less than half of Latin adults speak English well enough for the…

The sequential probability ratio test (SPRT), developed by Abraham Wald, is one statistical model available for making mastery decisions during computer-based criterion referenced tests. The predictive validity of the SPRT was empirically investigated with two different and relatively large item pools with heterogeneous item parameters. Graduate…

The twelfth annual report on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of Connecticut's college-bound seniors analyzes their characteristics, high school records, and college plans. This report is based upon the most recent responses of 28,302 1985-86. seniors who participated in the College Board's Admission Testing Program at any time during…