Minimum competency testing (MCT) programs for students are growing in popularity and being adopted by many states. In order to determine the extent of the MCT movement, researchers at North Carolina State University surveyed state departments of education in all 50 states. In updating these data for 1986-1987, it was found that 64 percent of the…

A study was designed to identify and clarify relationships between naturally observed, task-measured, and elicited instances of kindergarten children's role-taking, prosocial behavior and sharing behavior. An additional goal of the study was to illuminate possible relationships between prosocial behavior and children's temperamental…

As the result of educational reform legislation passed in Texas in 1984, a recertification examination was instituted for practicing elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators. The deadline for successful completion of the test by educators was June 30, 1986. The emphasis was on measuring reading and writing abilities, and an…

The Kentucky Career Ladder Commission has funded a special project on "expected student achievement," to study the evaluation of teachers while avoiding the indefensible use of standardized student achievement tests. As proposed, the plan uses student achievement as one aspect of evaluation. The problem is in determining the degree to…

The purpose of this study was to (1) ascertain the perceptions of teachers using volunteer aides and (2) to investigate the effect of the use of volunteer aides on student achievement when comparing anticipated achievement with actual academic achievement. The population included elementary school teachers and 169 student from 2 elementary schools…

During the 1960s and 1970s an enormous amount of research was conducted to better understand children's social and intellectual development, and hundreds of educational programs for children and parents were initiated in hopes of improving conditions surrounding many of America's young children. By the middle 1970s, however, it became apparent…

This document traces the development of the testing and reporting system used in the Elkhart Community Schools (ECS), Indiana, from 1981 through 1985. Performance objectives were established when the program was initiated. Analyses of standardized test results were provided for teachers, principals, and central administrative staff. All school…

Effects of test-taking instruction for University of North Carolina medical students who failed end-of-year examinations were studied. The exam is compensatory and includes a number of subtests, including National Board (NB) Part I standardized subtests in pathology, pharmacology, and physiology. Students who had to repeat NB Part I subtests were…

Several of the major considerations involved in implementing a statewide testing program are discussed. The test results provide information which influences the educational enterprise in matters of curriculum, instruction, guidance, and accountability. Tests to be used in an assessment program must be developed by the administering agency when…

Argues that the basic problem with standardized tests to test Mexican American students is that they lack "ethnic validity": they do not accurately or appropriately account for cultural, linguistic, or experiential ethnic differences. (Author/JM)

While assessment has been a part of education for a long time, the current increased emphasis on standardization of curriculum and assessment is unique. The author surveys varying perspectives on assessment, considers the role assessment plays vis-à-vis social studies and then evaluates arguments on both sides of the debate in light of the current…

The Specific Language Disability Test developed by Neva Malcomesius was administered to 195 regular sixth grade students for the purposes of standardization and correlation with achievement and intelligence test scores. (DB)

The TELSTAR project serves preschool handicapped children in all categories of disabilities in a three-county rural area of Northeastern Michigan. Services are home-based from ages 0 to 3, with the children placed in appropriate group programs at approximately age 3. The assessment and evaluation of child progress is done using a standardized…

Presented are the results of a 2-year study on achievement patterns in 917 educable mentally retarded (EMR) children (8.0 to 19.11 years old) in the district run classes throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Described are the student participants, as well as the teachers and districts from which they came. Also discussed are the test devices…

Examines confusions that result from the use of the words "standardization,""reliability,""objectivity," and "validity" in connection with testing. (IRT)