The 1986 Comprehensive Assessment Report on the Pearl River (New York) Public School District describes the district's 1,807-student population (grades K through 12), the community, and its schools. Tables provide data on: (1) students' performance on standardized tests, including the California Achievement/Aptitude Tests; New York State Pupil…

Information is presented about the grade 9 mathematics examination to be administered in 1988. Contents include: (1) Introduction; (2) General Information (including Purpose of the Achievement Testing Program, Nature of the Achievement Testing Program, Exemptions from the Achievement Testing Program, Students Receiving Instruction in French,…

A comparison of the reading skills assessment programs at three community colleges in Virginia and New Jersey is presented as part of an examination of the kinds of placement decisions that are made from assessment test data. Introductory comments focus on the controversy surrounding the growing emphasis on skills assessment in open-door community…

The latest important event in the history of educational testing in Japan was the establishment of the National Center for University Entrance Examination (NCUEE) in 1977. The entrance examination system consists of two stages. The first stage exam is the Joint Achievement Test (JAT) which is jointly administered by national and local public…

Data-based studies comparing effectiveness of middle schools to traditional or other schools are almost nonexistent. The middle school movement may have gained acceptance as a reaction to the failures of junior high schools and as a response to improved understanding of the nature of the learner. The state of Pennsylvania bases the organization of…

Effects of test-taking instruction for University of North Carolina medical students who failed end-of-year examinations were studied. The exam is compensatory and includes a number of subtests, including National Board (NB) Part I standardized subtests in pathology, pharmacology, and physiology. Students who had to repeat NB Part I subtests were…

Argues that the basic problem with standardized tests to test Mexican American students is that they lack "ethnic validity": they do not accurately or appropriately account for cultural, linguistic, or experiential ethnic differences. (Author/JM)

One of the major responsibilities of school psychologists is assessment, one goal of which is to provide services for children who need assistance in meeting the demands of the student role. Mercer (1977) points out that the student role includes two dimensions (social and cognitive), that student success depends upon progress in both dimensions,…

In discussion of assessment and its applicability to the needs of the Spanish-speaking student population, four types of assessments are presented in the context of the educationally significant testing needed in this area. The focus of this paper is on the use of comprehensive assessment to measure the repertoire of language resources that the…

Examines confusions that result from the use of the words "standardization,""reliability,""objectivity," and "validity" in connection with testing. (IRT)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, in its power base, conception, creation, and execution, runs against the view that respects the local, unique culture as the prime determinant in education and supports the idea that education is an entity that a national program can clarify for delivery to children. (Author/IRT) Aspect of National…

The consumer of educational tests is not being protected and reforms are badly needed. (JH)

Present discussion concerns the use rather than the content of tests. Four models of fair selection of tests are presented which describe the complexities of test fairness. Implications for the selection procedures practiced in our country are discussed. (Author/AM)

This document contains three papers from the Test Use Project of the Center for the Study of Evaluation. A preliminary assessment model is described in the first paper, "Contextual Examination of Test Use: The Test, the Setting, the Cost" by J. Herman and J. Yeh. Empirical findings are sought about the nature of testing and its actual…