This paper examines the major issues to be faced and the decisions to be made in the development and administration of basic competency tests used for the certification of teachers. The focus is on the use of competency tests as criteria in determining the initial certification of teachers, as differentiated from the ongoing observation and…

Cut scores obtained for licensure tests using different judgmental methods of standard setting (holistic, test blueprint, Angoff, and modified Angoff) were compared. Nineteen educators and practitioners participated in this study as judges. Pre- and post-test feedback (feedback of total- and low-group item p-value) ratings were obtained under the…

As part of a new teacher evaluation program initiated by the local school board, the Charleston County School District (South Carolina) adopted the Assessments of Performance in Teaching (APT) as a major evaluation tool to assess the teaching performance of annual contract teachers. Since evaluation procedures can ultimately lead to teacher…

Anticipation of negative consequences and sex role have both been found to contribute to fear of success (FOS). Specifically, research has found that expressive personalities (feminine) exhibit high FOS while instrumental personalities (masculine) exhibit low FOS. To demonstrate that values, especially those associated with sex roles, determine…

The purpose of this papeer is to provide an empirical analysis of four subtests of the High School and Beyond (HS&B) sophomore test battery. This analysis of item bias uses the 1980 test data of the sophomore cohort. Blacks and whites were matched on the total score of four subtests: Vocabulary, Reading, Mathematics--Part I, and…

Prior research demonstrates that examiner unfamiliarity negatively affects the optimal performance of handicapped preschoolers. The present investigation sought to determine whether examiner unfamiliarity also interferes with the optimal performance of handicapped school-age pupils and nonhandicapped children. Sixty-four subjects (16…

Reported is a study to verify the pattern of bias associated with the Model Identification Test and to determine its source. This instrument is a limited verbal science test designed to determine the knowledge possessed by elementary school children of selected concepts related to "the particle nature of matter." (PEB)

Arguing that most standardized tests are biased against minorities, especially black Americans, several alternatives and guidelines are suggested to alter the present unfair administration, interpretation, and testing process. (EH)

Unsupervised summative assessment has become a feature of the educational landscape in various educational jurisdictions around the world, including the state of Queensland in Australia. However, I suggest it is an invalid and unnecessary practice that can impact negatively on the affect of students, call for a reconsideration of its use, and…

The Stanford-Binet intelligence test was administered by 104 third- and sixth-grade, disadvantaged black children in Negro non-standard dialect and in standard English. Younger children performed better than older children. No significant differences were found between dialect and standard-English test administrations. (ST)

Based on the argument that traditional college admissions standards comprise elements that are invalid predictors of significant contributions to society, the author discusses selected results of a study which measured college apllicants' non-academic activities and productive thinking capacity as possible predictors of success in college.…

This study investigates whether item characteristic curves are the same for black students as for white students in the United States. The data analyzed were the answer sheets of 2269 black students and 2285 white students taking the 85-item Verbal Section of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test. The study of item characteristic curves is…

Provided are the proceedings of "With Bias toward None," a national planning conference on nonbiased assessment of handicapped children. Major sections of the document cover the following: the filmstrip introduction, general session presentations, clinic sessions handouts, issues generated at the conference, assessment models and…

Argues that the Coleman results make a great deal more sense when the test score results are interpreted as reflecting aptitude instead of achievement. (Author/ROF)