Research methodologies in several of the social sciences require the use of tests. When assisting social science researchers who seek information on tests, reference librarians do not, themselves, always have direct access to the instruments. Librarians should not only have the knowledge that various print and electronic database resources are…

Comparison of student test scores between states, school districts, and even schools continues to be a popular measure of student achievement. However, these comparisons reveal little about the quality or effectiveness of educational programs, only the varying difficulty of educating different populations of students. This report uses U.S. Census…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students and the general public with an overview of results from the January 1997 administration of the Social Studies 30 Diploma Examination for the province of Alberta, Canada. The summary is divided into: (1) description of the examination; (2) achievement of…

This individualized inservice packet on the assessment of student groups is intended to assist the individual teacher and the total staff to analyze the reading competencies of students in order to differentiate instruction and utilize appropriate reading materials. It is one of a nine-part series of booklets--Teaching Teen Reading--in…

Britain's Associated Examining Board for the General Certificate of Education believes that an examination taken by adults should provide room for the use of experience. The article provides two examples of the Board's courses illustrating that policy: "Living Decisions" (based on a BBC series) and "English Language for Mature…

Suggests ways of bringing "sanity" to standardized testing. For instance, no standardized test should ever be administered for purposes of establishing scholastic pecking orders, and the agency that administers a standardized test must determine the relationship between measured ability and measured achievement. (Author/IRT)

This study attempts to answer two questions: (1) How does the written English syntax of black, white, Indian and Spanish-American children in the intermediate grades differ? and (2) How does the tested language ability of these children differ? Concludes with a brief list of differences for teacher use in the classroom. (Author/SDH)

A formidable national educational reform movement has developed, aimed at improving the cultural literacy of U.S. students. Ideas about the illiteracy of American students and the urgency of restoring the nation's cultural knowledge, if carried forward, have strong implications for the school curriculum at both the elementary and secondary levels…

The Maricopa Community College District's (MCCD's) Commission on Student Assessment and Initial Course Placement was formed to assess the current status of student assessment for initial course placement across the district, to review the available instruments that assess student skills for placement, to discover what other community college…

Principals and teachers involved in implementing benchmark testing in a large, urban, midwestern school district progressed from lower to higher stages of concern during the 4 years of a longitudinal study. A random sample of the teachers and all the principals in the district's 49 elementary, 9 junior high, and 10 high schools completed the…

In seeking to define and describe culturally and linguistically different exceptional (CLDE) children, common problems in distinguishing a disability from a cultural or linguistic difference are discussed. The legal mandates affecting the assessment of CLDE students are summarized. An appropriate nondiscriminatory assessment process is defined in…

Procedures used by 55 faculty in the evaluation of students in various academic areas in Indiana University were studied. The majority of respondents taught undergraduates, were male, and were experienced, full-time faculty. Business faculty used primarily essay tests and research papers, while physical science faculty used mostly objective tests,…

In an effort to assess community college students' knowledge of the liberal arts, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges developed and field tested a student survey and General Academic Assessment (GAA) instrument. The GAA was completed by a sample of 8,024 students at four large, urban community college districts. The scores were cross…

This report provides a comprehensive description and record of all academic support services provided to students through the South Plains College Learning Center. After an introductory statement clarifies the ever-increasing need for academic support services at open-door institutions, a philosophy and mission statement and a detailed description…

The advantages and disadvantages of two common grading methods are presented, and from an analysis of the virtues and vices of these prototypic methods, a set of goals or criteria for grading systems is derived. Percentage and class-curve grading systems are discussed in detail. Criteria for grading systems include the following: obtain relevant…