The cost of including hands-on tasks in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment was analyzed. In recognition of growing interest in performance assessment in science, the framework for the NAEP science assessment called for the inclusion of hands-on tasks with hands-on activities and questions about the…

The National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching is working with the New York State Education Department to develop an assessment system that addresses both instructional and accountability concerns. The new system is intended to move the state to a system of performance assessments used in the service of ongoing teaching and…

A list of suggestions for the content-area teacher dealing with limited-English-proficient students is designed to help increase the comprehensible input provided to the students. A brief introductory section reviews theory underlying the approach. Subsequently, nine lists outline specific classroom activities (speaking/listening), teacher…

This paper documents issues in converting the Figure Classification Test to the computer. The purpose of the test, which is almost entirely visual, is to determine the subject's ability to discover rules via the visual/spatial environment. The methodology of the paper-and-pencil Figure Classification Test is as follows: the subject views a series…

A program for national educational evaluation was established in Sweden in 1989. In 1992, a second data collection was carried out. The program is designed to serve national and local purposes of evaluation. One concept that has been emphasized strongly is an "explorative way of working." Evaluating an explorative way of working is a…

A job analysis was conducted to define the content domain in which newly licensed (certified) biology teachers must be knowledgeable in order to perform their jobs competently. Results of the job analysis will be used to develop test specifications for the Subject Assessment in Biology of the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning…

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) developed and administered tests and questionnaires in three student populations to document the quality of mathematics and science education in 45 participating countries. Study design, instrument development, and research procedures were achieved through a complex collaborative…

This paper contends that much of the time and money devoted to standardized testing in the United States is misspent. Too many tests are poorly constructed, unreliable, and unevenly administered. Multiple-choice tests cannot measure thinking skills or real problem-solving ability. In addition, many examinations are biased racially, culturally,…

The scaling of a new assessment is a significant undertaking. The scaling of a new assessment designed as a multiple-level, criterion-referenced assessment is even more so. A Guttman approach to scaling was used with the Work Keys selected-response assessments, Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics. Assessments in development in the Work…

This work views assessment as one component in the educational triad of: curriculum planning, instruction based on planned curriculum, and assessment of student learning resulting from instruction. Models are given for assessment of learning through observed and recorded evidences. Strategies assess learned behavior activities in visual analysis,…

This paper evaluates existing national examination development processes in light of changes created by curriculum reform, and the restructuring and expansion of basic education. A model is proposed that creates a strong alignment of national examinations and a national basic education curriculum. Practical examples from Botswana, where the model…

Researchers and program evaluators would often like to use a particular instrument, but do not because it is too long or would require too much testing time. Having a validated set of objective procedures for reducing the size of an instrument could improve many research and evaluation efforts. This paper reports the results of test reduction or…

This paper describes the principles followed by the Educational Testing Service (New Jersey) in adapting, for students with various disabilities, the Scholastic Assessment Test I (SAT I), the commonly used test for college admissions that assesses verbal and mathematical reasoning. The paper notes that developers of standard tests should be…

This report is one of a series that documents progress in understanding the effects of new assessment based on case studies in three elementary schools. It presents the preliminary analyses of interviews with teachers about their knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to assessment and instruction in reading and mathematics. Changes in beliefs…

The College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) is part of Florida's system of educational accountability that is mandated by state law. The CLAST is an achievement test measuring students' attainment of college-level communication and mathematics skills identified by faculties of community colleges and state universities. Since August 1, 1984…