This ERIC Digest discusses implications derived from the final report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation at Risk." The first implication is a motivational one for measurement specialists: it is an ego-booster. The report is replete with results yielded from various testing programs, the fruit of the…

Policy implications stemming from empirical analyses that evaluate national federal compensatory programs are clouded because negative findings could be due to either the nature of the educational process or the inadequacy of the data collection and analysis technique. This paper constructs a framework within which the separate effects of each are…

Consistent with its mission of synthesizing available information on performance assessment in a variety of skill areas, the Clearinghouse for Applied Performance Assessment has prepared this summary of the role of performance assessment in selected published tests of problem-solving skill. Performance assessment is defined in terms of assessment…

A good applied performance test (APT) concentrates on measurable objectives which are relevant for today's society in general, for the local community, and for the students. APTs should be valid, objective/reliable, straightforward in format, simple to understand, and able to maintain student interest. Scoring procedures should be standardized and…

THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IS THE ANALYSIS AND SPECIFICATION OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES. THE DEFINITION OF INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR THE CURRICULUM DESIGNER, TEACHER, AND STUDENT SERVES AS A GUIDE FOR ATTAINING GOALS. WHEN INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENT PERFORMANCE IS THE BASIS FOR CURRICULUM…

A responsive educational evaluation is oriented more to program activities than to program intents, and stresses learning about the needs of the evaluation's audience, so that these value perspectives can be noted in reporting the successes and failures of the program. Most evaluation plans are more preordinate, emphasizing: (1) statements of…

The first part of Task 1 of the final report provides a critique of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) objectives. The report represents part of an investigation coordinated by a special Steering Committee working under the auspices of the National Council for the Social Studies. The first section examines whether the objectives…

This report submitted by Advocate Team No. 2 to the U.S. Office of Education, Division of Research and Development Resources (formerly Division of Manpower and Institutions) presents a proposed evaluation system for regional labs and R&D centers consisting of a two-tiered panel organization. The tiers are: (1) A Master Panel--a blue-ribbon…

A basic assumption is that, all things being equal, people who go to school are different than they otherwise would have been. That difference is what schools produce. When we find out how that difference can be measured and evaluated, we can begin to solve the mystery of productivity. (Author/LBH)

Using norm-referenced reading achievement tests as both "criterion referenced" (through repeated administration of the same form at successively higher grade levels) and as norm-referenced (in the usual manner) helps to differentiate individual changes in learning how to read as well as individual differences in gaining information from textual…

The steady growth of state testing programs and its implications for the measurement community are discussed in terms of testing purposes (monitoring, accountability, and curriculum advancement) and test development, administration, and reporting. It is important that the measurement community address crucial issues to maintain its substantial…

Describes procedure for combining Stanford Achievement Test items with local supplementary items to measure individual and aggregate student performance in mathematics. Two reports are generated from the test results: a diagnostic report of student mastery of each objective and an overall score. (TE)

Teaching and testing for critical thinking can be a challenge for new and experienced social work educators because critical thinking has no operational definition. Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is a tool from the wider context of education that can help new and experienced social work educators to think more precisely about what it…

Teaching and testing for critical thinking can be a challenge for new and experienced social work educators because critical thinking has no operational definition. Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is a tool from the wider context of education that can help new and experienced social work educators to think more precisely about what it…