Describes results of research by the Test User Qualifications Working Group that can be applied to improving testing practices, including 86 test use competencies and 7 factors accounting for misuse; a test classification system; and empirically based test purchaser qualification forms. (SLD)

Three national educational organizations articulated seven areas of teacher competency in student assessment. Among 555 teachers surveyed nationwide, the area of best performance was "administering, scoring, and interpreting test results," and the area of worst performance was "communicating test results." Development of…

Discusses authentic assessment of student performance as it relates to academic improvement and educational reform. Points out that there is too much testing of basic knowledge and skills out of context, and too little teaching of complex concepts. (MMU)

This article invokes a literal image of test givers as measurement devices and explores the psychometric properties of these test administrator instruments. Concurrent and content validation and test-retest and parallel-forms validity are explored. (SLD)

Considers how in these times of increased focus on standards and accountability, it is important to understand the views of the various participants. Begins with a brief history of the testing movement in Texas. Reports findings from a study on the negative effects of high stakes testing. Concludes with suggestions to minimize these effects on…

Discusses the direction large-scale educational testing is heading, pointing out pitfalls in current and future use of such tests. The large-scale assessment community seems to be unconcerned about the central mission of education, the instruction of children. (SLD)

Discusses the history of educational testing in Canada in the 1990s and the failure of provincial governments to give meaning to school accountability. Uses Winnipeg's Glenlawn Collegiate High School as an example of a school that assessed its own performance honestly by talking to students and graduates, then drew on findings to initiate needed…

Presents a model-based approach to rater reliability for essays read by multiple raters. The approach is motivated by generalizability theory, and variation of rater severity and rater inconsistency is considered in the presence of between-examinee variations. Illustrates methods with data from standardized educational tests. (Author/SLD)

Adult basic education (ABE) is an ideal venue for developing health literacy skills. Literacy and numeracy assessments used in ABE were identified and the most common were examined for health components. Only the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) included health. The two most common health literacy assessments used in general…

The 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act requires all states to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education the number of prospective teachers at each teacher training institution who pass their own state tests for licensure. However, the law left decisions on what tests to require in each field, what to assess on them, and…

Dr. Charles W. Stansfield is widely recognized as one of the most important figures in contemporary language testing. He is respected and relied upon by leading language professionals in education, government agencies, academia, and the private sector. During his 40 years of working with languages, he has been a secondary school teacher of…

The present study investigates the use of English lexical collocations and their relation to the online writing of Taiwanese college English majors and non-English majors. Data for the study were collected from 41 English majors and 21 non-English majors at a national university of science and technology in southern Taiwan. Each student was asked…

China has one of the oldest educational testing systems in the world, yet its modern form was influenced by various western educational modes borrowed during the twentieth century. This essay reviews the history of the Chinese traditional educational testing system: its origin, features, and its past impact on Chinese people's lives as well as on…

One of the important nutrients during pregnancy is vitamin A or related compounds called retinoids. Although it is well-known that vitamin A deficiency may be detrimental to foetal development, overdosage of retinoids might cause developmental defects, particularly affecting the central nervous system development of the foetus, causing hindbrain…

Within the context of standards-based educational systems, states are using large scale reading assessments to help ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn essential knowledge and skills. The challenge for developers of accessible reading assessments is to develop assessments that measure only those student characteristics that are…