Computer based assessment was introduced into an introductory economics course at the University of Queensland during the second semester of 1986. Over 600 students used computer generated and graded random tests for a number of assignments. A commercial computer managed learning (CML) software package was used to administer and grade tests and to…

A descriptive study outlined the approaches used in the assessment of student performance in technical/practical subjects (e.g., agriculture, home economics, and woodworking) in Zimbabwe secondary schools. Eight schools participated in the study. Data on techniques used to evaluate student performance were collected by questionnaires received from…

The importance of the presentation order of items on Likert-type scales was studied. It was proposed that subjects tend to choose the first alternative acceptable to them from among the response categories, so that a primacy effect can be predicted. The effects of reversing the order of the response scale on the latent factor structure underlying…

Most of the criticism of Australian schools focuses on students' skills in literacy and numeracy. This study assessed levels of student achievement in Victoria's primary and secondary schools in 1988 in some key areas of literacy and numeracy. This report maps the performances of students in Years 5 and 9 on scales of development in mathematics,…

The 50-item Bickley Assessment of Self Esteem (BASE) is an experimental instrument designed to measure the self-esteem of children enrolled in early childhood education. In addition to yielding an overall measure of a child's self-esteem, the BASE attempts to measure the child's general orientation toward academics, toward his or her teachers, and…

Several issues should be considered in selecting assessment instruments and procedures for use in adult literacy programs. Teachers must consider the purpose of the assessment; the appropriateness of the assessment instrument for adults; the reliability, validity, and practicality of the instrument; whether the assessment is culturally sensitive;…

Because historically black institutions have provided the major share of non-white teachers to the nation's schools, this monograph was prepared to illuminate some of the proactive initiatives which have taken place in four of these black colleges' teacher education programs: (1) Bethune-Cookman College in Florida; (2) Norfolk State University in…

This digest summarizes the results of the latest annual survey of state teacher testing programs. State directors of teacher testing programs were contacted in the summer of 1989 and asked to update the data compiled by the American Institutes for Research in 1988. Data indicate that: (1) states commonly use admission tests for applicants to…

The South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) measures 16 basic skills objectives as mandated by legislation enacted in 1978. The BSAP Reading and Mathematics Tests were administered April 17 through 21, 1989. The tests for grades 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 consisted of 6 multiple-choice questions for each of the 11 objectives in reading and…

The MAT-6 Writing Test (The Psychological Corporation, 1986) was administered to Oklahoma students in grades 7 and 10 in February 1989, in compliance with state law. The inception, implementation procedures, assessment instruments, and results of the Writing Assessment Component of the Oklahoma School Testing Program are described. District-level…

A procedure was developed to detect differential item functioning (DIF) in a standardized essay test using the Partial Credit Model, the general polychotomous form of the Rasch model. Using a panel of experts in the writing process, hypothesized explanations for DIF at some score points were developed. Data for the study included averaged…

In December 1993, children who were in grade 3 in the Trenton Public Schools (New Jersey) in 1985-86 will take a high-risk writing proficiency test to determine whether they will graduate from high school. An emerging study of the writing of the Class of 1995 in Trenton is described as students move toward that test. The activity of studying…

On February 3, 1988, the Citizens Commission set forth the Ohio Challenge: Education 2000, an overall plan to move Ohio's public education system into the 21st century. This report reviews the findings of the Ohio Education 2000 Commission and numerous national studies. The members have attempted to define for the citizens of Ohio the specific…

The correlative features of assigned reading and in-class performance were evaluated for 75 students enrolled in psychology classes in two community colleges in Maryland. Four tests and a final examination were used to measure in-class performance as a function of rates of reading and times of attendance. Control for content was attempted by…

A new computer-based approach for teaching counselors about predictive validity and how to use tests in clinical decision making was developed and tested. The approach is based on concepts similar to those used in inferential statistics, particularly statistical hypothesis testing. To implement this model, the counselor must: (1) determine the…