Educational item banking presents observers with a considerable paradox. The development of test items from scratch is viewed as wasteful, a luxury in times of declining resources. On the other hand, item banking has failed to become a mature technology despite large amounts of money and the efforts of talented professionals. The question of which…

Suggest that the test performance of disadvantaged children can be influenced by the affective tome of the test administration as determined by the wording and content of the test instructions. (Author/AM)

An examination is made of the possible impact of Rodriquez on other educational reform litigation presently pending in the courts or contemplated by reform advocates. An analysis of the relevant sections of the Rodriquez decision is presented, and alternative concepts which may limit the decision's consequences are suggested. Some of these…

In recent years, educational research and development has focused increased attention on ways of enhancing the instructional value of tests. This ERIC Digest summarizes some of the recent advances in linking instruction and assessment. Studies of teacher effectiveness indicate how important systematic assessment of student progress and use of test…

This digest lists guides to non-commercial tests and compilations of such tests to help identify potentially useful non-commercial tests and assessment instruments to measure special characteristics of students. Reliability and validity information is frequently available. The guides reviewed include: (1) "Measures for Psychological…

Noting that the demands of literacy have increased and that it is in this context that literacy performance must be evaluated, this book summarizes the most important results of the Young Adult Literacy Assessment, and provides thoughtful analysis of their implications from the standpoint of unemployment, economic competitiveness, the problem of…

The assessment competencies set forth in this monograph are knowledge and skills critical to a teacher's role as an educator. It is suggested that the seven standards described as essential for educational assessment of students be incorporated into future teacher training and certification programs. The standards require that teachers be skilled…

This article is a brief summary of "The Standardized Test Scores of College Graduates, 1964-1982," a study sponsored by the National Institute of Education (NIE), which pulls together scores on a variety of examinations as well as student background information. Over the past two decades the test scores of college graduates have…

In 1983-84, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges developed and field-tested an instrument, the General Academic Assessment (GAA), to assess community college students' knowledge in several liberal arts areas, including the sciences. The GAA was completed by a sample of 8,024 students at four large, urban community college districts. The…

All North Carolina high school students must take United States History as one of their graduation requirements. Each student takes a state-prepared U.S. History test of 100 items; most of those taking the test are in the 11th grade. The test contains 60 core questions and one of the four different sets of 40 curriculum questions. This report…

This book is an update and explanation of "The Seven Laws of Teaching," written by John Milton Gregory in 1884. The teaching laws are clear and simple statements of the important factors governing the art of teaching. They are: (1) The teacher must know the lesson, truth, or art to be taught; (2) The learner must show interest in the lesson; (3)…

Ralph Tyler is the Director Emeritus of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and has been an educator since 1921. In this interview, he discusses important emerging education and educational evaluation issues and significant issues in his early career. He describes the progress he sees, the existing problems to be addressed,…

Upon learning that a form of the Sequential Tests of Educational Progress was incorrectly distributed to an unidentified number of high school students along with an answer sheet pregridded with an alternate test form, the Austin Independent School District performed the following research analyses: (1) scored the tests using the key for each…

Arguing that most standardized tests are biased against minorities, especially black Americans, several alternatives and guidelines are suggested to alter the present unfair administration, interpretation, and testing process. (EH)

The pedagogy of chemistry education in the Soviet Union is discussed in a series of articles on inculcating social attitudes and ethics in chemistry instruction, teaching methods, school-leaving and higher education entrance examination results, and the role of the chemistry teacher in vocational guidance and instruction. (JH)