The history of a statewide effort to improve student learning in Missouri by adopting the concept of an Instructional Management System (IMS) with desired learned outcomes determining both instruction and testing was suggested to local school districts in 1980. In 1985, legislation provided funds and authority to engage large groups of teachers in…

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in demographic variables, mean attitude score, reliability of response, variability of response, and level of item completion among respondents to an initial survey mailing, to the first follow-up, to the second follow-up, and to a telephone interview. The first mailing included a cover letter,…

To determine the relative reliabilities and validities of paper-based and computer-based measurement procedures, 83 male student pilots and radar intercept officers were administered computer and paper-based tests of aircraft recognition. The subject matter consisted of line drawings of front, side, and top silhouettes of aircraft. Reliabilities…

In June 1986, 281 Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) students rewrote one or more sections of the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) because, with few exceptions, they did not pass on a previous administration. A study was conducted to investigate the performance of these students on the four CLAST subtests and to compare their…

In recent years, the Florida State Legislature has mandated that all students who enter colleges and universities must write one of four test batteries for the purpose of placement and that all students are required to pass an exit exam, the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST), at the end of the sophomore year. This paper examines the…

Meta-analytic research techniques were used to compare the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validities of blacks and non-minorities. The sample consisted of 7,854 black and 15,769 non-minority subjects from 113 Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) validation studies analyzed since 1972. The first approach was to compare average validities…

The paper describes the effects of a communication training program provided at the DEAL Communicaton Center Victoria, Australia, to 34 clients with diagnoses of autism or intellectual impairment with autistic tendencies. Client ages ranged from preschool to adult with 24 aged between 6 and 18 years. The treatment module consists of three 2-hour…

Whether judges on bias review committees can identify test items that function differently for black and white examinees was studied. Judges (n=42) on three bias review committees were asked to examine a set of items and predict differential item functioning (DIF) without empirical data. Test items from teacher certification tests in the content…

The North Carolina Test of Algebra II was developed for use as an achievement test following the completion of the Algebra II course of study. Its design serves two purposes: (1) a normative measure of student achievement; and (2) an objective-based measurement of curriculum coverage. The test's curricular validity, content validity, instructional…

The legitimate uses of new instruments for the selection and appraisal of principals, factors influencing use of these instruments, and safeguards to minimize misuse are discussed. Performance appraisal systems in education have been used legitimately to ensure that principals meet minimum performance standards, and for promotion. Another valuable…

A study focused on the nature and effect of constraints on the hypotheses that learners make about the meanings of words. Two experiments were conducted at a large midwestern university: the first, involving 68 undergraduate students divided randomly into two groups, tested taxonomic and durative constraints on nouns, and time of day and cessation…

Standards and assessments used by Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states to place students in either regular college-level courses or remedial/developmental courses were investigated. Questionnaires were sent to 489 two-year and four-year institutions, of which 404 responded. Information was collected on the specific assessments (tests)…

As of the fall of 1984, 40 states had by state mandate adopted some form of student minimum competency testing; 19 are or will be using test performance for the award of high school diplomas. In the other 10 states, local initiatives had implemented such testing programs on the school district level. Five states were using competency tests to…

The purpose of the California High School Performance Reports is to provide a means for the public to judge a school's progress towards: (1) implementing the educational reforms outlined in California State Legislature Senate Bill 813; (2) upgrading the quality of its instructional program; and (3) improving student achievement. This paper…

The Goldstein-Scheerer Tests of Abstract and Concrete Thinking are reviewed. This evaluative summary supplements several reviews in the Mental Measurements Yearbook series. The Goldstein-Scheerer tests are used by clinicians and researchers to distinguish normal individuals (those able to engage in two qualitatively different levels of cognitive…