It is argued that achievement test means, based on group scores, or other district-wide summary scores do not provide valid measures for diagnosing curriculum weaknesses nor for initiating curriculum changes. Group scores are probably valid for some purposes, but should not be used as criterion variables for evaluating the effectiveness of…

An instrument to measure student reports of perceived teacher invitations and of teacher behaviors traditionally considered effective was developed and validated. Invitational (I-type) factors and effective (E-type) factors were correlated with academic achievement. Scale items were suggested by the literature, and then rated and categorized by…

To obtain quantifiable employment information and identify training weaknesses of former vocational technical students, a comprehensive follow-up questionnaire was developed and validated. The new questionnaire, after review and revision, was field tested, using twenty-five randomly selected former students (placed in occupations related to their…

This technical report describes the procedures followed in developing the tests used in the California Assessment Program, the underlying principles of the program, the statistical characteristics of the tests, and the evidence that has been accumulated relating to the validity and reliability of the tests. The report also presents complete…

A system which used pupil outcomes to estimate the predictive validity of assessments of teacher outcomes was field tested in a performance-based teacher education program at Florida State University. Three levels of teaching competency were assessed: (1) competencies associated with cognitive identification of appropriate decisions for…

Entrance scores on the Mathematics Achievement Test, Level I, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (verbal and mathematical), and high school rank for 2,189 students entering engineering as freshmen at The University of Texas at Austin during the years 1974-1977 were used in regression equations as predictors of academic achievement and retention for…

This resource document represents the integration of both practice and theory related to minimum competency testing (MCT), and is largely based on information collected in a nationwide survey of MCT programs. Chapter 1, To Implement or Not to Implement MCT, by Marcy R. Perkins, presents a definition of MCT and a discussion of the perceived…

After studying the testing and remedial programs used in Florida's public schools, the Task Force on Educational Assessment Programs presented its findings and recommendations. Findings are reported regarding: the schedule for implementing the testing program (which requires that students pass the Functional Literacy Test before they may graduate…

Six contrived situational measures of altruism--prosocial behavior intended to benefit other persons--were developed and administered to 52 fourth- through sixth-grade boys and girls of Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Hawaiian heritage. A peer nomination device and a teacher rating form dealing with altruistic behavior were developed…

The objectives of this booklet are to provide suggestions, procedures, and rules of thumb to aid the evaluator in using achievement tests in program evaluation. It also discusses some of the theories underlying the procedures for developing and selecting achievement tests and interpreting their results. Each of the six chapters offers advice on…

THIS STUDY, CONDUCTED BY THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA) WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE FRENCH, GERMAN, AND SPANISH SKILL TESTS OF THE MLA COOPERATIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTS AND THE MLA PROFICIENCY TESTS FOR TEACHERS AND ADVANCED STUDENTS MEASURE ALONG A CONTINUUM OR WHETHER…

Two basic problems are confronted in this research: (1) What is sex role differentiation?, and (2) How does one go about measuring it? Both questions revolve around construct validity and the adequacy of sex role measures. Most investigators have used dependent "objective-verbal" tests to measure sex role differentiation. These either involve…

The Defining Issues Test (DIT) has been subjected to construct validation in a number of studies relating it to the development of moral judgment and to measures of cognitive development and political attitudes. The DIT has been found to have significant positive correlations with the Comprehension of Social-Moral Concepts Test for a variety of…

Rating scales of the "scaled behavioral expectation" type were developed to measure the constructs of independence and initiative, conscientiousness, enthusiasm, critical facility, teaching skills, research and experimentation, communication, and persistence. The scales were used by faculty in three psychology departments, two chemistry…

The author takes the position that standardized tests, as presently developed and marketed, do have potentially positive uses. However, these advantages are outweighed by the tests' deleterious effects on children and programs. Standardized tests refer to published, norm referenced, achievement and intelligence tests which contain specific…