This document is a study of standardized tests by sub-group, ranking the states according to scores divided (in turn) by gender, race and ethnicity, location of school, family income, parental education, teacher qualification and experience, limited English proficiency, special education participation rate, and per-pupil spending. The tests…

In this article, the authors describe various rationales for accountability testing programs over the past century. This history forms the backdrop for current test-driven reforms, including Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which was signed into law in January 2002. The goals of the authors are first, to illustrate…

This study investigated the comparability of scores for paper and computer versions of a writing test administered to eighth grade students. Two essay prompts were given on paper to a nationally representative sample as part of the 2002 main NAEP writing assessment. The same two essay prompts were subsequently administered on computer to a second…

Learning about tests will help parents help their children perform better on all types of assessments. This guide explains the many types of tests that students can take and describes the benefits and limitations of each. Test use and improving test performance are discussed. Assessment usually takes place for purposes of instruction, screening,…

This monograph is designed to motivate and assist Kentucky guidance counselors in fulfilling their role in achieving sex fair vocational education. Section 1 describes the status of vocational education in Kentucky and the United States. These areas are covered: changing roles of men and women, composition of the labor force, undersupply of…

These activities are suggestions for expanding the scope of activities undertaken to eliminate sex bias and promote nontraditional enrollment. They have primarily been compiled from local applications of vocational education policies in Georgia. Activities are first arranged according to eight major goals dealing with improvement of (1) long-range…

In 1979 the National Research Council established a panel to study testing of handicapped people for selection and placement purposes in educational and employment settings. The study involved the review of relevant literature, solicitation of pertinent information from organizations representing handicapped persons and from professionals involved…

Extensive public concern about the deficiency in basic skills confirmed by a decline in standardized test scores and widespread implementation of a variety of state and local improvement programs indicates an urgent need for national attention to this timely issue. However, a federal testing program or federally-imposed performance standards are…

The 75 papers included in these conference proceedings discuss testing conducted by the different brances of the armed forces. The importance of relating necessary job skills to the skills measured by the tests administered to the job applicants is emphasized. Various evaluation methods--including peer rating, aptitude testing, adaptive testing,…

This report documents the design, development, and psychometric characteristics of the assessment instruments used in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The ECLS-K was designed to assess the…

A survey was conducted among 1,022 school board members and administrators to determine nationwide school district testing practices. Of the districts represented at the 1976 convention of the National School Boards Association which were included in the sample, 75% reported the existence of district-wide testing programs. The various types of…

This book contains 19 readings covering three decades of the work of academic Jim Cummins. Section 1, "The 1970s," includes: "A Theoretical Perspective on the Relationship between Bilingualism and Thought"; "The Influence of Bilingualism on Cognitive Growth: An Synthesis of Research Findings and Explanatory…

Educational testing and its uses have come under increasing criticism as they are used more and more for decision making--to determine student tracking assignments, college admission, personnel selection, and licensing policies. The papers from this conference, which discussed the major issues in testing, include: (1) Testing: A Parent's Point of…

Selections include Strevens' discussion of teaching for different circumstances, Morley's discussion of new developments in teaching materials, Swain's overview of research in bilingual education, Shuy's, Oller's, Bernal's, and Rosier's respective discussions of test bias, and Rivers', Hines', Scovel's, and Taylor's explorations of the Silent Way,…

"Educational Measurement" has been the bible in its field since the first edition was published by ACE in 1951. The importance of this fourth edition of "Educational Measurement" is to extensively update and extend the topics treated in the previous three editions. As such, the fourth edition documents progress in the field and…