Reports the findings of an investigation into student teacher failure in final teaching practice in training institutions in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Few students who complete a course of training fail. Reasons for this finding are discussed. A reappraisal of the approach to the final assessment of teaching practice is suggested. (CT)

Although the pass-fail option proved to be popular with students, the faculty sample felt that it was being abused, and had somewhat negative attitudes toward the system. (AG)

The grading standards must be based on society's needs and the availability and ability of students to be trained to fill these needs. (IR)

Reviews the literature in volunteering as it relates to a university credit course for students volunteering in human services agencies. Discusses the development of the program, along with the advantages to students, agencies, and the university. (Author/RC)

A study of 750 students from four community colleges showed that high-risk students graduated only half as frequently in traditional community colleges (miniuniversities) as in non-punitive colleges (opportunity centers). However, there were no differences in subsequent academic performance of such students in senior institutions, suggesting that…

Two methods--non-distributional and normal--are derived for estimating measures of pass-fail reliability. Both are based on the Spearman Brown formula and require only a single test administration. Results from a simulation (n=20,000 examinees) and a licensure examination (n=4,828 examinees) illustrate these methods. (SLD)

Ways to use standard-setting data to adjust cutoff scores on examinations are reviewed. Ten sources of information to be used in determining standards are listed. The decision to modify passing scores should be based on these types of information and consideration of adverse impact or rating process irregularities. (SLD)

A survey of 12 constituencies (totaling 2,288 respondents) concerning the National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) comprehensive Part I and Part II examinations revealed support for more even distribution of fail rates across examinations, support for a fixed standard, and favorable reaction to setting standards based on review of examination…

Setting pass/fail cutoffs that accurately reflect physical ability required for job performance is a key consideration for public-sector employment testing. Top-down ranking is less appropriate than job-performance expectancy banding. (SK)

Results of the fall 1993 administration of part two of the Medical Council of Canada's Evaluating Examination for 744 candidates provided evidence of the consistency of the pass/fail and cutting score definitions for the objective- structured clinical examination stations used across examiners. These results support the validity of this…

A law school professor analyzed data on pass/fail grading and conventional grading in his legal negotiation class over 11 years to determine statistically significant differences in performance of the two groups of students. Grades for both negotiation simulation exercises and written papers were analyzed. Results showed differences between the…

Study was designed to measure student attitudes toward the pass-fail system of evaluation for the student teaching sequence. Questionnaire was administered to 158 student teachers and to 32 faculty members. Results of the chi-square analysis indicated that student and faculty attitudes were strongly positive. (Author)

This book is intended as a practical guide for the preservice and in-service education of teachers. The first chapter describes current practices in marking and reporting student progress. This is followed by guidelines for improving marking and reporting systems (Chapter 2), methods of assigning norm-referenced letter grades (Chapter 3), the use…

Information pertaining to the overall grading standards and practices within the five Peralta Colleges is compiled and analyzed here. The report is presented in three parts. The first part deals with the historical background of traditional and non-punitive grading, the national trends toward innovation and experimentation with various forms of…

Passing scores for licensure and certification tests are justified by showing that decisions based on the passing score achieve the purposes of the credentialing program while avoiding any serious negative consequences. The passing score is justified to the extent decisions based on it have positive consequences. More specifically, the standard…