To answer several questions about the Ohio statewide high school proficiency testing program, correlations of student performance on the ninth-grade proficiency test with other measures of reading and mathematics were studied for approximately 4,600 students in the Cleveland (Ohio) City School District. The performance of students from higher…

Whether state average test scores on the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment in mathematics should be used to compare and rank states according to the quality or proficiency of their educational programs is examined. Data from eighth graders from the Trial State Assessment are analyzed. Analysis shows…

Although experts overwhelmingly support the idea of using assessment to improve college instruction, most testing programs call for summative evaluation or accountability rather than formative evaluation. In using assessment to improve instruction it is essential to examine what decisions should be made in order to improve instruction.…

The papers in this collection reflect topics of major interest to members of the measurement and testing communities. Symposium 1, "Beyond the Wall Chart: Indicators and School Ranking," includes the following papers: (1) "What Our 17-Year-Olds Know: One District's Assessment" (L. D. Wilkinson and D. L. Galindo); (2)…

By analyzing the language proficiency interview style developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in a different way, proficiency profiles can be created that will be of greater use to business language programs and prospective employers than are the ACTFL rankings alone. From the interview, this profile can…

This is one of three publications prepared by the Ohio State Board of Education to assist schools in implementing a competency based education program, as required by the 1983 revised minimum standards for elementary and secondary schools. This document addresses the assessment requirement, with emphasis on defining, comparing, and contrasting…

The development of job-specific tests (JSTs) for two occupations is discussed. A reading comprehension test and a mathematical reasoning test were developed for Customs Inspectors, and a reading comprehension test was developed for Social Security Claims workers. JST items incorporated reading samples or math problems from those found on the job.…

This bibliography lists works dealing with the General Educational Development (GED) tests. Citations range from 1944 to 1987. The works cited are grouped according to the following topics: GED students and their attitudes toward GED programs and adult education; instructional programs and materials predicting readiness for GED testing;…

The admissable probability measurement (APM) format was used to score a criterion referenced language arts test administered in an inner city junior high school. Its 30 items covered capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, and sentence analysis. With APM, students indicate their confidence in their answer choice, and guessing is heavily…

This research, conducted for California State Department of Education, is one component of a feasibility study focusing on ways to make the testing process more efficient by application of multi-purpose tests (MPT). MPT are designed, administered and scored to serve more than one purpose and to consolidate and unify testing programs as a partial…

This handbook is intended for persons who might develop or use an item bank to support their testing program. An item bank is defined as a "large collection of distinguishable test items," with "large" explained as meaning that the number of items available is greater than the number to be used in any one test. The first section of the handbook…

This report and compilation of papers summarizes information collected by an Assessment Development and Use Project, initiated by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) to assist test development efforts by state and local agencies. Specific item banking applications are reported in two case studies, selected because they represent…

In the spring of 1979, the National Institute of Education, in collaboration with the United States Office of Education, the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE), and members of a nation-wide network of research and development agencies, sponsored a national colloquy on the theme that testing could have an important impact in improving…

A discussion of the admission examination to the University of Ottawa's graduate program in interpretation describes the three types of instruments used (oral test, written test, and interview), their measurement of six important interpreter characteristics, and work in progress to evaluate the test's reliability. (MSE)

This publication introduces an assessment instrument to help programs implement management competencies. It discusses development of management competencies and describes the Management Competencies Assessment Instrument (MCAI) designed to help managers verify and validate their competencies and use the information for planning professional…