Examples of errors and excess wording found on examinations are given. Some suggestions for improvement are given. (RH)

Presents a report of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Examinations Committee in which the 1981 testing program is described and condensed norms for the ACS examinations are given. (CS)

Used an ecological approach to study the proximal relationship of raters (n=12) and test takers (n=423) formed during the trial of a new science version of a high-stakes, topic-based language test. Reveals a source of test bias that might otherwise have gone undetected by traditional methods. (SLD)

Although Vermont was the first to initiate a statewide portfolio assessment program, two other states are making progress using this approach. Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) is experimenting with portfolios kept by junior high students in music, visual arts, and writing. New York has an ambitious hands-on program to test fourth graders' science…

Discusses the use of value-added analyses of science examination data. (MKR)

Discusses a simple modification to the method of answering and scoring multiple choice tests that allows students to indicate their estimates of the probability of the correctness of the multiple choice options for each question without affecting the validity of the assessment. (Author/CCM)

Overview: This research explores using a teaching approach that attempts to balance test preparation with creating "teachable moments" for students. This approach involves the use of a sequence of assessments to introduce topics through formative assessment in order to identify students' understanding, and beginning instruction based on…

The goals of our study were to determine the predictive value and usability of an audience response system (ARS) as a knowledge assessment tool in an undergraduate medical curriculum. Over a three year period (2006-2008), data were collected from first year didactic blocks in Genetics/Histology and Anatomy/Radiology (n = 42-50 per class). During…

This study explores the impact of "Scientific Communication" (SC) skills instruction on students' performances in scientific literacy assessment tasks. We present a general model for skills instruction, characterized by explicit and spiral instruction, integration into content learning, practice in several scientific topics, and application of…

The traditional kappa statistic in assessing interrater agreement is not adequate when multiraters and multiattributes are involved. In this article, latent trait models are proposed to assess the multirater multiattribute (MRMA) agreement. Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) are used to illustrate the…

International assessment studies have shown since decades that Japanese students score highly on math and science tests. As a consequence, many scholars, education policy officials and journalists outside Japan share the opinion that quality of education is ensured and turn to the Japanese educational system to identify educational effectiveness…

As Sweden drew nearer to the 2006 national election, two themes emerged in the educational debate: a concern for order and discipline in schools, and the ambition to raise educational levels of achievement. The objective of this article is to locate these two themes within a broader framework of understanding by: 1) discussing examples of how the…

This paper provides information about Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and TAKS (Accommodated) Phasing in End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments. The purpose of the tests is to: (1) Meet a state mandate; (2) Provide schools with student academic diagnostic information; (3) Determine prospective high school graduates' mastery of the state…

This paper provides information about Washington Assessment of Student Learning and the new High School Proficiency Exam. The purpose of the exam is to: (1) Determine prospective high school graduates' knowledge and skill levels relative to those needed for entry-level employment and postsecondary education; (2) Determine prospective high school…