Focuses on the limitations of traditional standardized psychoeducational assessments for Ebonics speakers and describes alternative measures that may yield more accurate results for these students. Also highlights the implications of traditional and nontraditional assessment approaches for test developers, evaluators, educators, and students.…

Authentic assessment requires students to think critically while applying skills to solve real-world problems. Integrating traditional and authentic assessment can provide accurate pictures of what students know. This paper describes one elementary teacher's experiences with alternative assessment, discussing possible concerns with using authentic…

Critics of the Virginia Standards of Learning claim the tests do not allow teachers and students to explore their own interests. Proponents say the tests might force schools to cut out time-wasting activities (like Friday movies) and concentrate on performance. Parents worry about their kids' progress. (MLH)

Describes United States literacy characteristics, based on April 2000 reports from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Discusses Angoff methods for evaluating validity of high-stakes testing programs in Massachusetts and Virginia. (MLH)

This article reviews the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R adult and EPQ-R short form), the 16PF5, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for use with adults with visual impairments. Results found only the EPQ-R short form can be used by participants using low vision aids, closed-circuit television, or an optical character reader.…

Top college admissions criteria include strength of curriculum and outstanding grades throughout high school, strong standardized test scores, and information gleaned from the personal application form about cocurricular activities and community service. Teacher recommendations and personal interviews are not as predictive as personal…

The College Board released the profile of 1998 college freshmen who took the Scholastic Assessment Tests and Advanced Placement exams and reported that the number of well-prepared students of all ethnicities is increasing, as is the number of poorly prepared students. The most striking differences found were between suburban schools and schools in…

This article provides an overview of strength-based assessment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders and discusses the development and psychometric characteristics of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS). The BERS is a norm-referenced, standardized test that assesses the strengths of children and…

Reviews the book, "Contradictions of School Reform: Educational Costs of Standardized Testing," (Linda M. McNeil, 2000) which explores the effects of state- and school district-imposed accountability measures, including standardized testing, on teachers and students (most of whom are children of color) in an urban setting. The book…

Comparison of teacher-assigned grades and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores in English, math, and science for 736 eighth-graders reveals that MCAS hurts African-Americans and Latinos/as in math and girls in math and science. Equitability disparities indicate the need for caution in high-stakes testing; scores should be…

An analysis of SAT-9 scores since passage of Proposition 227 indicates that scores increased for all students, not just for English-learning students; scores increased for most districts regardless of the programs implemented; it was not possible to isolate the impact of Proposition 227; and SAT-9 is not an appropriate measure for assessing…

Examines mandated testing impact on curriculum and instruction in mathematics and science for minority students. Survey responses from 2,229 math and science teachers of minority classes and interviews with 289 urban educators show tests are not adequately sampling higher-order thinking or high-level conceptual or procedural knowledge in either…

This article describes errors resulting from use of standardized language tests using a "normal" sample as the normative comparison group. Resulting errors include, among others, identifying normal children as language impaired, providing misleading profiles of verbal and nonverbal performance, and inability to determine impairment severity.…

This article explains characteristics associated with the use and evaluation of criterion-referenced measures by speech language clinicians, in contrast to norm-referenced measures. Guidelines are offered for the evaluation and selection of standardized criterion-referenced measures and for the development and ongoing evaluation of informal…

This article addresses issues concerned with British adolescents at Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum who have learning difficulties and do not achieve a "G" grade for the General Certificate of Special Education. Types of alternative accreditation are discussed, and implementation in three mainstream schools is recounted. (DB)