Presents results obtained in a general physics course when students were allowed two-trials for completing each examination with only the better of the two grades counting towards final grade. (SL)

Written by an attorney and a school psychologist, the article provides help for parents of handicapped students seeking an independent evaluation. Topics include when to seek an evaluation, private vs. school based evaluations, expectations, finding evaluators, evaluating professional services, credentials, training expertise, and establishing a…

Explores the introduction of grade criteria into the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination as an effort to make clearer the competency and knowledge levels expected of examination candidates in Great Britain. Concludes by exploring problems with this concept and by calling for further clarification of the purpose for this…

The five studies reported on in this article investigated the effects of testing schemes on end-of-course achievement. Variables were frequency of testing, repeated or non-repeated tests, and single-unit or cumulative tests. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

Students were allowed to offset a poor examination grade by taking a second, equivalent exam. The repeat exam provided immediate reward for using the initial exam as a study guide. Students who took two or three repeat exams scored higher on the final exam than those who took fewer repeats. There was no "curving" of the exam scores. (Author/JDH)

Reports the development of a measure of teachers' attitudes toward testing. Teachers are constantly called on to use tests to make decisions that are crucial to the lives of their students, hence positive feelings will make for more responsible test use. Items address effects of tests on students, value of tests, and effectiveness of test results…

This conference summary presents the views of five early childhood special education professionals, each of whom recommended one child outcome measure and one family outcome measure for use in a typical early childhood special education program serving children from birth to five years with a range of handicapping conditions. (Author/JW)

Gives a rationale for assessing critical thinking through writing. Provides examples of semi-structured open-ended test items used to assess critical thinking through writing. A brief bibliography is included. (JDH)

Six articles review the results of the 1985 California Assessment Program's eighth grade test of History/Social Science. Each article reviews areas where students excelled or had difficulties and makes recommendations for adjustments in curricula or teaching procedures. (JDH)

Presents, along with working definitions and illustrative items, an overview of the eighth grade critical thinking assessment which comprises approximately 40% of the History/Social Science test of the California Assessment Program. (JDH)

Presents procedures for improving school district textbook adoption practices to create a better match between student and texts. Emphasizes the importance of overcoming both the traditional reliance on publishers for textbook adoption rationales, and the frequent aversion of educators toward using technologies such as student textbook readability…

This paper updates the concept of test validity. This new conception entails a set of 10 categories combined together in pairs: curriculum and instructional validity, statutory and forensic validity, media and journalistic validity, political and legislative validity, and partisan and activist validity. (Author/DWH)

Describes New Jersey's coordinated, statewide higher education effort involving mandatory testing, remediation, and evaluation. Reviews the program's history; the role of the New Jersey Basic Skills Council (NJBSC); the Basic Skills Placement Test, which focuses on reading comprehension, sentence sense, math computation, and elementary algebra;…

The overall effectiveness of a school program can be assessed through a matrix sampling technique. In Illinois a district gathers evaluative data in 10 content areas by administering tests to sample groups of students. (MD)

Describes an approach to evaluation in which students were given a second chance to demonstrate knowledge of the subject. Areas investigated include student willingness to retake the examination, the effect of the retake on student scores and class distribution, and the relationship between initial performance and retake score. (GS)