Parallel studies at universities in Israel, Finland, Canada, and the United States used a "selected deletion gap-filling test," a variation on the cloze procedure designed to measure reading comprehension by testing the reader's familiarity with cohesive links and grasp of text coherence. The test design responded to the growing demand for a more…

A panel of classroom teachers and a Department of Education inspector respond to questions from participants in a conference on methodological advances in modern language teaching held in Ireland. The questions and answers address the following topics: (1) the usefulness and selection of cloze tests; (2) maintenance of high written language…

Adults' responses to a survey of television viewing were investigated to examine the premise that respondents assume that the range of precoded response alternatives reflects the researcher's knowledge of the distribution of opinions or behaviors in the population. Responses are, therefore, a function of the response alternatives provided.…

This paper: (1) reviews the development and implementation of a test designed to assess the competencies of public high school students in Atlanta, Georgia, preceding their graduation; and (2) presents the results of indicator cluster correlations between the new "Basic Skills Tests" and other reading and mathematics basal tests…

A French-English guide to French diagnostic reading tests for French immersion classes, grades one through three, is presented. The "tests diagnostiques de lecture" are designed to indicate strengths and weaknesses in silent reading performance in French for early French immersion pupils in Canada and to integrate this information into…

The R.S. Wyer and T.K. Srull model suggests that when humans process information and store it in memory they create construct categories that are somewhat like storage bins. According to this model, when information is placed in these bins, it is stored in the order that it is received or used, with the most recently processed information always…

This report describes the design of a test of one aspect of critical thinking ability, the ability to correctly appraise observations. Intended for classroom use with senior high school students, the 50 item Test on Appraising Observations is based on a comprehensive set of principles modified from Robert Ennes' conception of good observation…

The National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Core Battery and Specialty Area tests were assessed to determine (1) test validity and (2) minimum performance standards for use in the state of Tennessee. The NTE was reviewed by 316 teacher education personnel, who focused on its relevance to teacher education programs. A group of 288 local school district…

Participants in this conference of educators, convened to consider methods of evaluating teacher education students, focused upon the relationship between candidate quality and teacher effectiveness. Questions under consideration included: (1) pre-admission field experiences students should demonstrate; (2) optimum scores on aptitude and…

This paper presents preliminary results regarding the predictive validity of learning potential tests administered in an exploratory study in Rotterdam (Holland) concerning the referral of minority students to special education. The central question of the study was why some students of Surinamese, Turkish, and Moroccan origin were placed in…

In the late 1970s, the Department of Defense requested that the reference population for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) be changed and updated to reflect the current youth population. Analyses of new data collected in 1980 indicated that speeded subtest scores of the new sample were atypically low and that the sample might…

Validation of an Air Force vocational interest inventory in the enlisted force was conducted to develop improved job placement techniques with a view toward practical application of results during initial counseling and job placement of enlisted personnel. The Vocational Interest-Career Examination (VOICE) was administered to 18,000 recruits…

Discussions of any test must focus on reliability, content validity, and interpretation of results. In this critique of On Further Examination--the report of the Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Score Decline--the National Education Association (NEA) finds no fault with the reliability of the SAT. Its content validity, however,…

The content and utility of two models of reading comprehension tests, the basic skills assessment model and the multiple choice cloze (MCC) model, are discussed. The basic reading competency model assesses the ability to read or infer "basic" meanings from a range of written or symbolic communication, as is necessary for daily living in…

Student evaluations of teacher effectiveness have been accepted by instructors as helpful indicators of performance, but their validity and use in tenure and promotion decisions has been questioned by faculty. Students and instructors in 207 social science courses completed evaluations of instructional effectiveness at the conclusion of the…