A one-day conference was held at the University of New South Wales in Australia to consider alternatives to the Higher School Certificate as a college selection device. The first address was by L. H. T. West, who outlined some of the current controversies in the debate about selection and presented evidence that pointed to serious weaknesses in…

This document provides information for teachers and administrators about 54 tests which can be used with young children (2-5 years of age) to assess and evaluate early childhood education programs. Brief descriptions of the tests, presented in charts, include the following information: the name of each measure its author, the publisher, age or…

There are four steps in obtaining test data, each requiring planning and decision-making: assembling students, administering tests, scoring, and recording scores. In assembling students, two cautions are in order. First, for norm referenced tests, students in the treatment group should take the test at the same time of the year as the students in…

This booklet offers English teachers a summary of the literature on test development and practical suggestions for test writing. The issues addressed include (1) honesty in testing, (2) understanding the place of testing, (3) characteristics of good testing, (4) preparing a classroom test, (5) what diagnostic tests reveal, (6) essay questions, and…

Advanced level French syllabuses of the nine GCE Boards in the United Kingdom are examined. The Southern Universities Joint Board has recently introduced the most radical innovations. As an alternative to its traditional examination it offers Syllabus "B" which dispenses with prescribed tests, but where each student must produce for the…

A SURVEY, KNOWN AS PROJECT TALENT, IS TO BE A SERIES OF EXAMINATIONS ADMINISTERED TO 500,000 STUDENTS IN 1,000 SAMPLE SCHOOLS. IT AIMS AT MEASURING THE STUDENT'S PRESENT KNOWLEDGE AND HIS POTENTIAL APTITUDES AND ABILITIES. THE RESULTS OF THIS 1960 CENSUS WILL BE SCORED, ANALYZED, AND EVALUATED BY SPECIAL ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT. THE PROJECT IS BEING…

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN A TEACHER'S WRITTEN COMMENTS ON A TEST AND (1) SUBSEQUENT STUDENT ATTAINMENT AS MEASURED BY TEST PERFORMANCE AND (2) ATTITUDE CHANGE TOWARD 9TH-GRADE ENGLISH, WERE INVESTIGATED. 9 CLASSES (225 STUDENTS) WERE GIVEN 4 TESTS BY THEIR TEACHERS OVER A 6-WEEK PERIOD. TESTS WERE RETURNED WITH NUMERICAL SCORES, LETTER GRADE, AND…

THE CALIFORNIA MEXICAN-AMERICAN EDUCATION RESEARCH PROJECT INITIATED AN ASSESSMENT PROPOSAL DIRECTED TOWARD MORE EFFECTIVE EDUCATION OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS IN WASCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. A SAMPLE OF THIRTEEN STUDENTS FROM EACH GRADE, PRE-SCHOOL THROUGH TWELVE, WAS RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM STUDENTS WITH SPANISH SURNAMES…

A SAMPLE OF 15-YEAR-OLDS WAS LOCATED AND TESTED AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF PROJECT TALENT, A NATIONAL INVENTORY OF APTITUDES AND ABILITIES OF HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH. A PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF ALL 15-YEAR-OLDS IN THE UNITED STATES WAS ESTABLISHED, CONSISTING OF 4 1/2 PERCENT OF ALL SUBJECTS IN GRADES 9 THROUGH 12 AND LESS THAN ONE-HALF OF ONE PERCENT OF ALL…

This paper describes a computer-managed instruction (CMI) system used in teaching self-instructional modules in an educational media course covering communication theory, instructional design, media utilization, and production. The system is based on three underlying assumptions about the course: (1) the course consists of a set of discrete…

The difficulties in comparing profile variability (a measure of test scatter) are briefly discussed and the limitations of current techniques pointed out. Test scatter is defined as individual variation in test scores between or within various psychological and educational tests. Currently, no statistical technique for the comparison of profile…

This manual sets forth comprehension guidelines and procedures for selecting instruments to measure educational growth, achievement, and outcomes. The necessary criteria are presented in a checklist format, permitting local district personnel to evaluate the worth of testing instruments before adoption. A subset of the criteria are defined as…

P.L. 94-142 carries with it considerable potential for both special and general education. The law, however, is currently surrounded by many myths. It does not, for instance, apply to all handicapped children, but only to those who require special education because of their disability. It does not eliminate all special education classes or require…

THE MOST DISABLING HANDICAP OF YOUNG CHILDREN FROM DEPRIVED SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS IS THEIR DIFFICULTY IN USING LANGUAGE ABSTRACTLY. IN THIS STUDY, THEREFORE, IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT IF AN EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION PROGRAM WAS LIMITED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABSTRACT LANGUAGE, THEN NOT ONLY LANGUAGE, BUT MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF THINKING WOULD BE…

WORKSHEETS FROM AN AUTO-INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IN HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA PROCESSING METHODS. IN THE SCRIBE SYSTEM, WORKSHEET DATA IS TRANSFERRED FIRST ONTO SPECIAL SHEETS REQUIRING RECORDING OF ERRORS AND OMISSIONS ONLY, AND THEN ONTO IBM CARDS. THE IBM CARDS CAN BE USED IN A SPECIAL IBM 1620 ITEM DIFFICULTY ANALYSIS PROGRAM.…