Simulated tailored tests were used to investigate the relationships between characteristics of the item pool and the computer program, and the reliability and bias of the resulting ability estimates. The computer program was varied to provide for various step sizes (differences in difficulty between successive steps) and different acceptance…

The strengths and weakness of standardized tests, and trends in achievement testing in the last 15 years are examined. The discussion of achievement tests includes survey, instructional, diagnostic, and basic skills tests, as well as tests used for formative and summative evaluation. Minimum competency tests are not examined in detail. Advantages…

THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY EXAMINED THE WAYS IN WHICH DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN ARE ASSESSED FOR PLACEMENT AND REGROUPING IN AN UNGRADED PRIMARY UNIT. THE STUDY ALSO ATTEMPTED TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE ADMINISTRATION AND TEACHERS HAD PRECONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE CHILD. FINDINGS ARE BASED ON SURVEYS OF THE DIRECTIVES AND PUBLICATIONS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT,…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 11 summaries of documents and journal articles on parent evaluation of schools, all Secondary Education; *Parent Attitudes; Parent Teacher Conferences; Student Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of this topic, such as the use of…

On March 4, 1977, the Center for Advanced Study in Education (CASE) of the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Board of Education of the City of New York co-sponsored a National Conference on Minimum Competencies: Trends and Issues. Six papers were presented: "An Overview Regarding Minimal…

The testing program of the Royal Oak (Michigan) School District was examined and evaluated under agreement of the Royal Oak Teachers Association and the Administration of the Royal Oak School District. A committee was formed of people knowledgeable of the program and/or specialists in evaluation and testing. This study represents two days of…

Criterion-referenced testing (CRT) is defined as a method of ascertaining an individual's status with respect to some performance standard. Computer-assisted testing (CAT) is a method of constructing tests using a variety of computer techniques such as a single test computer printouts, stored item banks, teacher specified criteria, machine…

Supplement Number One to the "Annotated Bibliography--Educating the Disadvantaged Child" has been prepared for teachers and educators as a source of current information concerning the increasing problem of educating disadvantaged children. This supplement concentrates on the conditions which make up the environment of these children, the resulting…

This paper traces the history of the College Entrance Examination Board from its beginnings through its operations in 1966. Using materials drawn from various published and unpublished sources both of the Board and of the Educational Testing Service, summary accounts of objectives, formats, manner of administration, scoring, and critical…

Eleven papers on language testing deal with various psycholinguistic aspects ranging from the particular application of language aptitude tests to statistical methods of measurement and evaluation. Several chapters treat the difficulties involved in testing spoken language aptitude and attainment. Contributors to this volume include K. Brown, A.…

This paper reports on a large-scale project of research and evaluation of a program for disadvantaged minority group students conducted by the Center for Educational Opportunity at the Claremont Colleges. The Program of Special Directed Studies for Transition to College (PSDS), a five-year experimental project, is aimed at providing a four-year,…

This study investigated the validity of various approaches to the measurement of English composition skills. Over 600 11th and 12th-grade students were asked to write five 20-minute essays on different topics, to take six objective tests of writing ability, and to do two interlinear exercises. Twenty-five experienced readers assigned scores of…

A 3-year demonstration project focused on the vocational rehabilitation rehabilitation of selective service rejectees in a five-county area in Central South Carolina. In 1962, over 50 percent of South Carolina's young men who were examined for military service were rejected for failure to meet physical and/or mental requirements. Of 1,450…

FLES comprehension tests, administered by television to a large group of elementary school students in a televised French course in Pennsylvania, are outlines in terms of testing methods and skills measured. Skills tested include (1) comprehension of phrases and words in context, simple stories, numbers, dates, times of day, (2) identification and…

The Seguin Form Board Test is used to assess visual discrimination and matching and eye-hand coordination. Previous analysis has shown the vactor loadings for the same scale to differ among age levels, so the test may be measuring different abilities at different age levels. Test materials consist of ten differently shaped wooden blocks and a…