Baruch College (New York) recently conducted a cohort study relating factors used in Masters in Business Administration admissions with first year grade point average in the program. Data from the fall 1986 entering cohort strongly supported the value of the Graduate Management Admission Test in predicting first year grades. (MLW)

A qualitative observational study of standardized group testing in 10 kindergartens revealed variations in testing conditions, discrepancies from standardized administration procedures, and variations in children's behavior that contributed to difficulties in maintaining a uniform testing process. High-stakes group testing in kindergarten should…

Argues that research shows that the concerns expressed about the Graded Assessment in Mathematics (GAIM) project are not serious and do not outweigh the positive benefits of the program. States that levels of achievement and development of mathematical learning are related. Urges the linking of summative and formative assessment. (KO)

Asserts that reading tests can be neither ignored, nor allowed to control the classroom. Describes the teaching of "reading-test reading" as a genre in a first grade literature-based classroom. Presents children's views of the genre and how their understanding of it affects their view of themselves as readers. (SR)

Student performance will continue to drop as long as traditional school management telegraphs the message that low-quality work is acceptable. Nothing of high quality, including school work, can be measured by standardized machine-scored tests. By using control theory, both student and teacher workers can be more effectively managed without…

Suggests that whether U.S. education is a catastrophe depends not on whether students can answer questions on the Standard Achievement Tests (SAT) but on their ability to survive in the modern world. Stresses that the challenge to the social studies is to teach students to integrate their learning not to play the testmakers game. (NL)

Reports a study on minimum competency testing in American high schools. Discusses the effects on students who fail to pass it, and the perceptions of educators and administrators about the value and barrier aspects of these tests. Implications of the findings for research, policy making, and educational practice are explored. (JS)

Reports that 26 of 199 responding colleges require the Fundamentals of Engineering examination. States that of the 26, 16 require it to be taken college-wide and 3 require the student to pass. It was estimated that fewer than half of all graduating engineering students take the exam. (MVL)

Provides statistical data that describe the present and potential future of blacks in higher education as well as highlighting positive and durable changes at particular colleges and universities. Specific areas include educational equality, college admissions, standardized test scores, and graduation rates of black athletes. Comments on…

In the context of developing assessment instruments in psychology, issues of standardization, norming procedures, and test reliability and validity are discussed. Criteria, guidelines, and rules of thumb are provided to help the clinician with instrument selection for a given psychological assessment. (SLD)

Tested the effects on achievement of the High/Scope K-3 Curriculum. Found that the High/Scope Follow through children scored significantly better on achievement tests than they would have in regular classes without this program. However, the evaluation was incomplete in that such tests do not assess important High/Scope K-3 Curriculum goals. (WP)

This article identifies sources of information about syntactic ability of school-age children and adolescents from language samples (spoken and written) and standardized language tests. Language samples yield information on sentence length, clause density, and use of higher level discourse-motivated structures. Syntactic subtests from three…

This review of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test--Revised (often used with learning-disabled students) notes the addition of a Written Expression subtest, replacement of most items to reflect current curricular content, and use of updated norms. The test also measures: general information, reading recognition, reading comprehension,…

Reports a study of 269 students (males=147, females=122) from eight high school graduating classes in Shanghai, China, to determine whether gender differences in mathematics achievement as manifested in the United States exist. Analysis of variance by school on two measures indicated no gender differences except in one school on one measure. (MDH)

Test specifications need to take a middle road so that they are not so general that instructional targeting is impossible and not so specific that only unitary assessment targets are fostered. Using illustrative sample items provides a good means of communicating the items eligible to be tested. (SLD)