American youngsters don't know as much science as they did three to four years ago, the National Assessment of Educational Progress finds. (Editor) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Trends).

Seven forms of a sixty item multiple choice test were administered to 454 college freshmen for the purpose of studying the effects on reliability and performance of keyed response option sequencing that would be unlikely under a random model. (Author)

The effect of humor in the classroom was explored by comparing the performance of third and fifth grade students who worked on a humorous test with that of students who worked on a nonhumorous test. Humor depressed third graders' performance but had positive and negative effects on fifth graders' performance. (Author)

This paper discusses the quality of tests with respect to their different uses. Standardized tests are defined as standardized procedures for eliciting responses from individuals, and these form the basis for some sort of appraisal. They can include intelligence tests, achievement tests, school readiness tests, and self concept measures. Oscar…

AT THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY REGIONAL CAMPUS AT FORT WAYNE, 171 FRESHMAN STUDIED A UNIT ON "STIMULUS AND RESPONSE" IN A MODIFIED FORM OF THE PROGRAMING STYLE CALLED "CONVERSATIONAL CHAINING," IN WHICH THE ONLY RESPONSE CONFIRMATION IS PROVIDED WITHIN THE NEXT FRAME IN THE PROGRAM. THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC EMPHASIS SUCH AS CAPITALIZATION, BUT ALWAYS AN…

EIGHT INSTRUCTIONAL TESTS SPANNED THE CURRICULUM OF ONE YEAR OF BIOLOGY STUDY. THE FIRST CONCERNED THE NATURE OF SCIENCE INCLUDED 4 AREAS OF EMPHASIS--THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF HYPOTHESIS, THE IDEA OF CONTROLS IN EXPERIMENTS, INTERPRETATION OF GRAPHED DATA, AND THE NATURE OF DATA. THE SECOND TEST WAS DESIGNED TO SHOW AN UNDERSTANDING OF…

To understand the contributions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) toward solving the problems of literacy and equity, this report addresses two questions: (1) How can NAEP provide useful information concerning educational equity and standards of and levels of literacy, particularly with regard to linguistic and ethnic…

This brief introduction to testing is geared to parents. Types of tests are defined, such as standardized tests, achievement tests, norm referenced tests, criterion referenced tests, and aptitude tests. Various types of scores (grade equivalent, percentile rank, and stanine are also defined, and the uses made of tests by administrators, teachers,…

A suggested technique for analyzing distributions of test scores compares distributions of scores made by groups of pupils on standard tests with distributions made by other groups of students on the same tests. By identifying the percents of student scores which must be shifted to an adjacent cell (interval) to make the two distributions exactly…

This study examines the reasons some Los Angeles City College (LACC), California, applicants did not complete registration after taking the college's Guidance Examination (used for course placement and counseling). Of 2,320 applicants, 489 failed to register for the spring 1970 semester after taking the examination; of these, 239 returned…

This classification and annotation of a sampling of reference sources in educational measurement is presented as an aid to literature searches for students, educators, psychologists, and researchers. The sources are grouped under four major headings: reference volumes, books, professional journals, and materials available from test publishers. The…

The purpose of the pre-school assessment program described is to improve the first grade curriculum and make it more meaningful to all students through early identification of strengths and weaknesses, coupled with appropriate follow up activities. Children (340) entering the Rockdale County, Georgia, first grade in the fall of 1968 completed a…

Standardized tests are devised to sort students out, comparing them on a scale from high to low, not to discover what students know. Thus, results of standardized tests are misleading in representing the achievements of educational programs and in comparing one school or school system with another. Criterion tests, however, measure directly and…

The Bryant Youth Educational Support Center (YES) was established to meet the needs of Bryant Junior High students who were socially maladjusted and/or academically underachieving. The primary objectives of the center are to provide basic-skills remedial instruction and to modify inappropriate behavior. During the 1971-1972 school year, 50…