Current coaching practices used in training test wiseness for analogy items on standardized test batteries were investigated in a 3-group design involving about 100 undergraduates in each condition. The largest improvement came in items in the middle range of difficulty, but overall effects of coaching were important. (SLD)

Reviews the use of tests with deaf students, especially reading-comprehension tests, noting documented differences in test-taking abilities of deaf and hearing students and specific compensatory test-taking strategies used by deaf readers. A rationale for including a formal test-taking skills component in the curriculum for deaf students is…

Examined how coaching affects the predictive validity and fairness of scholastic aptitude tests. A coached (n=271) and uncoached (n=95) group were compared. Comparison revealed that although coaching enhanced scores on the Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test by about 25% of a standard deviation, it did not create a prediction bias or affect…

A big problem with performance tests and standards is their specificity, or lack of generalizability. "Keeping no secrets" and "teaching to the test" for performance tasks and traditional tests are absolutely necessary if schools are to prepare students adequately to meet performance standards. This nontraditional approach…

Discusses appropriate ways to prepare students for performance assessments and proposes a list of six guidelines for teaching to performance assessments. The focus is on elementary and secondary education. It is believed that these guidelines will help balance the domain and sample problem. (SLD)

Spurred in part by University of California (UC) President Richard Atkinson's February 2001 proposal to drop the SAT I for UC applicants, more attention is being paid to other tests such as the SAT II and ACT. Proponents of these alternative exams argue that the SAT I is primarily an aptitude test measuring some vague concept of "inherent…

This article offers guidance for teachers seeking to improve instruction and their students' success rates, especially for those in urban schools. Furthermore, it discusses the advantages and disadvantages of in-class preparation tests, which teachers often administer to help increase students' chances for success on state-mandated tests. In-class…

The focus of this report is to summarize the research that has been conducted thus far on the new SAT Writing section. The evidence provided reveals that the new writing section has satisfactory psychometric quality in that its reliability is acceptable; it is significantly related to first-year college GPA and college English grades; it has been…

Based on the classic test-wiseness principles of J. Millman, C. H. Bishop, and R. Ebel, the STAR strategy streamlines the taking of timed tests. Before explaining the strategy to students, the instructor can convince students of the advantages of the strategy by administering a short test to determine students' test-wiseness. The STAR strategy…

A study of 696 undergraduates at the University of Northern Colorado was undertaken to determine the effects of computerized unit test item feedback on final examination scores. The study, which employed the PHOENIX computer managed instruction system, included students at all undergraduate levels enrolled in an Oceanography course. To determine…

This report is an evaluation of the test preparation clinic program sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The project's primary objective is described as improving the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores of low income black high school students, thus increasing the pool of minority youngsters able to meet…

This guide provides a summary of the information and suggestions covered on an audiotape designed to help students prepare for and take tests. First, introductory material presents a rationale for the development of the testing skills materials and a discussion of their use at Lane Community College. Next, the objectives of the tape are specified…

It is concluded from a review of the literature and consideration of the type and objectives of tests and programs in English as a second language that, just as limiting an instructional program to what is to be tested in standardized tests would be inappropriate, so would constructing such a program without regard for what was to be tested. It is…

This Research Memo is for test users, teachers, administrators, counselors, curriculum specialists, school board members, and legislators who use tests as a means for improving education. The purpose of this report is to provide general background information about measurement and testing. The information includes discussions of the meaning…

Three variables which affect students' achievement test scores and which can be manipulated prior to test administration are discussed: testwiseness, practice tests, and test practice. Findings were presented from literature reviews. Regarding testwiseness, (1) it can be described, measured, and taught, therefore, testwiseness exists; (2)…