News media reports about Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and trends have drawn or suggested conclusions about the quality of schools, teachers, and colleges that are neither supported by evidence from the test itself nor consistent with its nature and purpose. (MSE)

The nature and quality of teacher-developed tests was studied in a national sample of 228 teachers representing four grade levels and several subjects. Teachers described their patterns of test use, concerns about assessment, and use of performance testing. Teacher-developed performance assessment was heavily used. (Author/GDC)

Identifies situations in which there is disparity between coefficients calculated from aggregate versus individual level data. Determines the magnitudes of these discrepancies, and discusses the implications for test score reporting and policy decisions based in whole or in part on the aggregate level relationships and discrepancies identified.…

Offers different perspectives of the conference topics that were discussed at the 1984 meeting of the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE): language and English teacher education, language and competence, language and tests, language and schooling, language and technology, and language and technological overkill. (HOD)

The controversy over intelligence testing is more often influenced by political considerations than empirical research. A survey of 1,020 experts found that a majority agree that (1) intelligence can be defined; (2) heredity plays a role in individual and group IQ differences; and (3) intelligence testing in schools should continue at its present…

Several issues facing the measurement community were brought on by the recent emphasis on stricter educational accountability measures. These testing issues include the limits of test scores, effects of testing on instruction, proper test use, importance of the test content, and defining the basics in education. (EGS)

Beginning teachers in Florida were surveyed as to the weight they assigned to the results of teacher-made tests, district-wide standardized tests, and statewide minimum competency assessment tests in making major educational decisions. The results suggested that greatest weight was placed on the statewide assessment tests. (Author/GDC)

Research suggests that special tests of reasoning ability are superfluous. Reading comprehension and algebra scores on common aptitude and achievement tests are highly correlated with scores on several reasoning tests. Furthermore, three programs in reasoning skills have been shown to improve reading comprehension scores in various settings. (MCG)

Examines data from a survey of the kinds of writing students are required to do in a university, revealing that essay tests, research papers, and reports are the most common writing tasks. Discusses the curricular implications of the findings. (FL)

The purpose of this research was to construct tests that could be used to support various decisions in the educational system in Tanzania. Emphasis was placed on decisions made at the end of primary education, and at the end of four years of secondary education. (Author/BW)

In January 2000, the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) published "Equipped for the Future Content Standards: What Adults Need to Know and be Able to Do in the 21st Century." Since then, people in states and adult education programs across the country who are using the 16 Equipped for the Future (EFF) Standards have been looking forward to the…

This paper is a report on the estimated effects on students and families of the offer of a voucher (the "intention-to-treat" effect) and the effects of switching from a public to a private school (the "treatment-on-the-treated" effect). Specifically, the report estimates the impact of voucher programs on student test scores,…

This digest focuses on academic testing and American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Ideally, test results should be used to improve student learning. Proponents of high-stakes testing say it is needed to measure student achievement and school quality and to hold students and teachers accountable. High-stakes testing is also used to…

The Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) was part of a project examining biographical, motivational, attitudinal, personality, and cognitive aptitude variables in 1,000 adult students preparing at the Foreign Service Institute for overseas assignments, with various subsamples completing different instruments. Data were analyzed using correlation,…

The President and the Department of Education have advocated national testing, but they have not really justified their use. Most educators argue for the importance of multiple assessments, rather than a single test of achievement with great impact on the future of a student and an educational system. Misuses of test results would plague national…