This report is a cross-sectional analysis of the 1974-1975 mid-year performance of Follow Through, Non-Follow Through and District groupings of pupils in the Philadelphia School District. The report is divided into four parts: Part I offers comparisons of each Follow Through grouping with all other groupings in terms of mean score differences,…

A 90-minute videotape demonstrates how to stage six stations simulating medical emergency problems to be solved by emergency medical technicians (EMT's) taking the National Registry's 150-question written final examination. The videotape also details the logistics of arranging the entire one-hour examination, used in over 30 States. (AJ)

Describes the development of a standardized achievement test for high school horticulture students and analyzes resulting data from 37 high schools. Although the sample may not have been truly random, the test is felt to be sufficiently reliable and valid for use as a research and evaluation tool. (MF)

The author describes the structure, content, and standardization of the Stanford Mental Arithmetic Test (SMAT), which was developed at Stanford University from 1973 to 1975. (MN)

Success of student nurses from three ethnic groups on a state board certification examination was predicted from study behavior, course grade point average and standardized achievement tests administered prior to nurse training. The achievement tests proved to be the best predictors across groups. (Author/JKS)

The final (high school graduation) examination in French is uniform throughout West Germany, but the states have autonomy in building their course plans. A comparison of curricula reveals many differences, resulting in a difference in the proficiency of graduates. Their final examination scores are not comparable. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

A computerized program was developed to screen students with learning disabilities, using standardized tests from student records. Children who are one-third or more behind in their expected reading level would be identified as having a possible learning disability. (Author)

The purpose for which a test is needed is the most important criterion for deciding which type of student assessment tool should be used. Standardized tests were developed as sorting instruments based upon certain views of knowledge and learning. Educators, according to their own values, must either bring standardized tests more into line with…

Tests can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the child, not only in terms of right and wrong answers, but also in terms of how and why the child succeeds or fails to meet significant mathematical standards. (JD)

Reviewed is research on the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, which are designed to assess several areas of a child's cognitive and motor development from the age of 2 1/2 to 8 1/2 years. (Author)

Recommends that standardized achievement tests for first to ninth graders be limited to three uses: home reports, monitoring of longitudinal performance trends in the basic skill areas, and annual monitoring for unusually low score comparisons. Recommendations deliberately exclude early childhood and high school testing and testing for individual…

Test development included designing, screening, and field testing of test items; compilation into an examination administered to a target group; and norm development for score comparison with a national sample. (MSE)

Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test were administered to severely hearing-impaired 4- to 14-year-olds (N=102) to obtain test norms for hearing-impaired children. Mean scores for these subjects were lower than those of normally-hearing peers, illustrating differences of rates of vocabulary acquisition between hearing-impaired and…

Compares the use of writing samples and standardized tests for college English placement, arguing that a single writing sample is not sufficient for proper evaluation, and provides guidelines for using standardized tests appropriately and accurately. (HTH)

In 1984, a Maryland elementary school publicized standardized test scores showing black students trailing white students by 25 points. Alarmed by this gap, a district task force found the root cause--negative attitudes about black students' potential--and launched an effective schools process in 171 schools. Two supporting programs are described.…