Topics covered in these essays on testing in high school English are (1) the need for major literature tests to determine not factual recall but whether students are growing into rational and humane persons through their experiences with English; (2) the usefulness of pre-tests and re-tests, and the need to emphasize tests as a means of…

This study was designed to develop a skill anaysis test battery which would aid in the prediction of achievement in two specific areas of training. A total of forty educable mentally retarded students in work study classes were selected for training. A three part rating scale specifically for this study was used as criterion meansure against the…

Positive values inherent in well-planned tests used in language programs are discussed in this article. The author argues that the problems of dropout rate, underachievement, discipline, and negative student attitudes can be alleviated through testing programs which include: (1) an aptitude test for selecting and sectioning students and for…

A 3-year study attempted (1) to predict reading achievement through third grade, (2) to establish data for a nonverbal discrimination test, (3) to devise supplementary perceptual instructional programs, and (4) to develop screening devices to assess perceptual abilities and identify potential learning disabilities. In first, second, and third…

A survey of compensatory and noncompensatory reading programs in grades 2, 4, and 6 of the U. S. public schools was carried out in spring 1972. Phase I, the subject of this report, involved two tasks: (1) describing what was meant by "compensatory reading", and (2) identifying the characteristics of schools in which compensatory reading…

A criterion-referenced assessment of reading literacy conducted in the fall of 1971 in grades 4, 7, 10, and 12 of the Madison Public Schools is described. The study was designed to answer the question: Can Wisconsin students read (gain information from) the written materials they encounter in daily living? The procedures for identifying the…

This report covers Phase II of a two-phase project concerned with the development of new measures of cognitive variables in elementary school children. The four tasks undertaken in Phase II were: (1) prepare, revise and describe instruments designed to measure the cognitive variables categorized as concept formation, language development, logical…

Decision-making Rationale for Educational Testing (DRET) is a proposal intended to reduce the misuse of achievement tests. It assumes 1) measurement is intended to facilitate decision-making, 2) the choice of an instrument, the identification of examinees and the use of test results is determined by the decision for which the measurement is to be…

In response to the need for sound classroom evaluation procedures, educational objectives in the area of geography are defined. In addition, suggestions and examples of test construction, based on the experiences and judgments of evaluators as well as on research findings from education and geography, are offered. (CK)

209 children residing in an institution for dependent children were used as subjects for the development of an institutional behavior rating scale. Results of a factor analysis are discussed in detail. It is noted that potential uses of the scale are: 1) to give the psychologist a picture of the child's daily functioning in various situations; 2)…

A diagnostic test in English as a second language should be a series of miniature tests on specific problems. Subscores in each area should be considered rather than a total score. The results should be used to probe mastery in an area rather than provide the means for comparing one student against another. The statistical reliability of the…

The purpose of the study was to develop and try out two forms of a short (40-50 item) diagnostic test in five skill areas (Library Use; Dictionary Use; Use of References; Reading Graphs and Tables; Reading Maps) for use in Grades 4, 5, and 6, and designated as research study skills. A related problem was the development of five short (31-44 item)…

The Pennsylvania Assessment of Creative Tendency (PACT) is an experimental Likert Style Attitude Inventory designed to measure the creative tendency of elementary school children. PACT has been constructed over a period of four years, and has been subjected to item and factor analyses. The reading level has been set at Grade 5.0 or lower. To…

Estimates for the variance of empirically determined scoring weights are given. It is shown that test item writers should write distractors that discriminate on the criterion variable when this type of scoring is used. (Author)

The research summarized in this report was stimulated by the need for an objective, standardized measure of vocational maturity which would provide an empirical referrent for the conceptual terms of vocational development. The instrument constructed for this purpose is the Vocational Development Inventory (VDI), consisting of the Competence Test…