Explains how to set up a testing program to measure student achievement of basic skills. (IRT)

In-training examinations, those tests designed primarily to evaluate residents in graduate training, were endorsed by the Committee on Goals and Priorities of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Current utilization of these examinations is reported by half of the medical specialty group members of the American Board of Medical Specialties.…

A computer program for scoring written simulation tests provides individual scores and basic item analysis data. The program is written in Fortran IV and can accomodate up to thirty-five hundred options and up to ten thousand examinees. (Author/JKS)

Discusses the costs of developing, administering, and regulating state competency tests as well as of the compensatory programs that the tests will make necessary, and then suggests five ways of reducing these costs. (IRT)

Since 1960 Denver has operated a testing program designed to assure that high school graduates possess minimum competence in four basic areas--arithmetic, spelling, grammar, and reading comprehension. (Author/IRT)

Describes the Comprehensive Achievement Monitoring (CAM) program which has been in effect in Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb, since 1970. CAM tests are given regularly and frequently, with each test graded and returned to the classroom within a day or two. Much teacher time is saved and the students can see where they stand while the course is in…

One method to correct for selection bias in comparing Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores among states is presented, which is a modification of J. J. Heckman's Selection Bias Correction (1976, 1979). Empirical results suggest that sample selection bias is present in SAT score regressions. (SLD)

It is the process of regular exercise that promotes fitness. Concentrating too much on the product by overuse of fitness norms and comparisons between children may mask the real issue and can result in negative experiences for the children most in need of improvement. Key related issues are also raised. (MT)

A statistical model is proposed that describes the determination of an educational outcome variable as a nonlinear function of explanatory variables defined at different levels of a survey data hierarchy, such as students and classes. The theoretical and practical derivation of the model is discussed, and an example is given. (Author/BW)

The Jefferson County Schools (Colorado) are in the process of examining a district-wide testing program and selecting a new, standardized basic skills test. This paper describes the progress made to date. (LMO)

Describes New Jersey's coordinated, statewide higher education effort involving mandatory testing, remediation, and evaluation. Reviews the program's history; the role of the New Jersey Basic Skills Council (NJBSC); the Basic Skills Placement Test, which focuses on reading comprehension, sentence sense, math computation, and elementary algebra;…

This work presents a methodological critique and secondary analysis of a large scale societal experiment, performed by Kellaghan, that studied the educational and psychological effects of the introduction of standardized achievement/ability testing in elementary schools in Ireland. (Author/PN)

This study investigated what Virginia high school social studies teachers thought about the new Standards of Learning (SOL) mandates. The grounded theory ethnographic study collected data through interviews with five teachers, observations of social studies department meetings and classes, and school system and SOL program documents. Findings show…

This overview of the Alaska system for test development, scoring, and reporting explored differences and similarities between norm-referenced and standards-based tests. The current Alaska testing program is based on legislation passed in 1997 and 1998, and is designed to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Legislation. In…

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the positive consequences associated with high stakes test use and interpretation in Arizona were shared among all grade levels in the elementary school, not just the tested grades. In addition, a curriculum alignment variable was examined to observe its association with curricular…