The literature on the verbal behavior of teachers and their methods of testing students was reviewed. Studies included those on structuring (focusing attention on the topic), soliciting (including questions, commands, imperatives, and requests), responding (answering questions), and reacting (clarifying, synthesizing, expanding, or making positive…

Improved communication and cooperation between test publishers and school systems is essential for solving major test problems. Test-curriculum matching, test equating, and inappropriate use of grade equivalent scores are major problem areas. The degree to which a standardized test yields information relevant to what the system is trying to teach…

Issues such as the utility of standardized assessment instruments in the assessment of severely handicapped infants and preschool children are considered. A model is proposed for analyzing underlying cognitive requirements of assessment tasks and for using results of such an analysis for program planning. (Author/DB)

A study of the Myers-Briggs personality types for graduating pharmacy students and faculty found gender and type differences among and between students and faculty. It is suggested that both students and faculty must be sensitive to and understand the preferences of the other group to maximize teaching and learning. (Author/MSE)

The legal issue of teacher competency testing is not the testing itself, but the type, manner, application, and purpose of the testing. Legal concepts pertinent to the issue of competency testing are explored. (MT)

Sampled high school students (N=192) to determine whether the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Self-Directed Search-Form Easy (SDS-E) are alternate forms for learning-disabled high school students. Found initial evidence that the SDS-E may be more appropriate than is the SDS for use with learning disabled high school students. (Author/ABB)

Reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) and compares the use and misuse of the test as revealed through published surveys. Finds problems in the use of the NDRT to diagnose the specific reading needs and deficiencies of low-achieving students and to measure individual growth. (CBC)

Responding to Dr. Meisels' article concerning the uses and abuses of the Gesell readiness tests, the Gesell Institute of Child development maintains that the Gesell series of assessments are used by schools to gain a fuller developmental understanding of the child and have been predictive of school success. (BB)

Describes a San Diego Community College course on teaching techniques for vocational instructors. The course features six teaching competencies: (1) organizing course content, (2) using various instructional delivery techniques, (3) understanding the adult learning process, (4) using instructional media, (5) giving effective tests, and (6)…

Argues that the Degrees of Reading Power test is not a valid tool for its main purpose, matching students to appropriate texts, because the test's units of text difficulty are not uniformly comparable to the test's units used to reflect a reader's ability. (HOD)

Reviews the Test of Practical Knowledge, a multiple choice test of "functional competency," noting that the test's task requirements are confounded by such factors as intelligence, achievement, social knowledge, and reading ability. (HOD)

A study involving 95 retarded persons (16-66 years old) revealed that the Objective Behavioral Assessment-OBA-, a behavioral system for assessing self-care, social, sheltered domestic, prevocational, and sheltered work performance skills, has a high degree of objectivity and acceptable standards of inter-rater and test-retest reliability. (CL)

Describes two instruments for eliciting student beliefs about language learning and teaching--the Foreign Language Survey (FLAS) and the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI). Representative responses of prospective teachers are discussed to demonstrate the usefulness of this information for the foreign language methods class. (SED)

The 15 components used for assessment in an introductory psychology course were examined to determine their relative value as predictors of overall performance. Multiple-choice tests were consistently found to be more effective than essay examinations, but arguments are presented for the retention of essays, with suggestions for their improvement.…

Some negative feelings about tests may be the result of not understanding what tests do, what their limitations are, and how they are scored. Classroom, standardized, achievement, and criterion-referenced tests are discussed. Tips for helping children develop a realistic attitude toward tests and good work habits are given. (MT)