Teacher-made mastery tests were administered in a classroom-sized sample to study their decision consistency. Decision-consistency of criterion-referenced tests is usually defined in terms of the proportion of examinees who are classified in the same way after two test administrations. Single-administration estimates of decision consistency were…

This paper describes a model for the evaluation and approval of a test battery for compliance with a midwestern state law mandating criterion-referenced testing of specific objectives. Standards specifying that the test scores must demonstrate content validity and criterion-related validity form the foundation of the model. The model also…

Designed as supplemental material to on-going instruction in the vocational program, this teacher's manual to the Upholstery series is intended to accompany three dictionary booklets (available as CE 024 422, CE 024 423, and CE 024 424) for use by handicapped students to help them master the core vocabulary taught in the trade. Information…

This document is designed to assist school districts to implement the Massachusetts State Board of Education regulations requiring the setting of performance standards in basic skills at three grade levels. The appropriate procedures are described in the manual: (1) setting of basic skills objectives, at three grade levels; (2) the selection of…

Designed as supplemental material to on-going instruction in the vocational program, this teacher's manual to the Graphic Arts series is intended to accompnay three dictionary booklets (available as CE 024 419, CE 024 420, and CE 024 740) for use by handicapped students to help them master the core vocabulary taught in the trade. Information…

This discussion focuses on the use of appropriate and equitable tests for the screening and placement of language-minority students. It is proposed that evidence on the impact of testing on Hispanics indicates a relationship between testing practices and the benefits derived or not derived from the students' experience with public education.…

While Illinois educational officials developed a uniform assessment manual to accompany standardized tests, a companion handbook was developed by a consultant for use with teacher- and district-made tests. Criterion-referenced or mastery tests were the subject of the handbook. The handbook was designed to assess content validity as well as provide…

The sequential probability ratio test (SPRT), developed by Abraham Wald, is one statistical model available for making mastery decisions during computer-based criterion referenced tests. The predictive validity of the SPRT was empirically investigated with two different and relatively large item pools with heterogeneous item parameters. Graduate…

A technical advisory committee assisted the Alabama State Department of Education in establishing passing scores and equating test forms of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE). The committee examined four methods of setting cutting scores: (1) Jensen's theoretical method--probability theory is used to set standards that are…

A variety of viewpoints were represented in this symposium for chief state school officials and senior staff of state departments of education. Russell Vlaanderen, Education Commission of the States, opened with a national overview: "The Policy Implications of Minimum Competency Testing: The Case of the Standardized Student." Attorney…

Implementation of the Entry Level Skills Program (ELSP) during 1979-80 at Huston-Tillotson College and Wiley College, both historically black institutions in Texas, is described. The ELSP, which is a developmental program for freshman students who have not acquired the full range or level of cognitive skills needed for college, is part of the…

A procedure is demonstrated for constructing tables showing, for each score on a commercial reading achievement test, the percentage of real-world materials that the testee is likely to comprehend with at least a criterion level of proficiency, the percentages of students in a local or national sample who can competently comprehend a given…

Designed as supplemental material to on-going instruction in the vocational program, this teacher's manual to the Culinary Arts series is intended to accompany three dictionary booklets (available as CE 024 415-417) for use by handicapped students to help them master the core vocabulary taught in the trade. Information presented in the manual…

A competency-based, individualized, English course was designed so that, at any one time, students would be working toward a grade of C, B, or A. While some students, based on a pre-course writing evaluation, might begin work at an advanced level, other students might spend the whole semester attempting to achieve the skills required for a C.…

Despite a body of evidence that curriculum-based measurement of reading (R-CBM) is a valid measure of general reading achievement, some school-based professionals remain unconvinced. At the core of their argument is their experience with word callers, students who purportedly can read fluently, but do not understand what they read. No studies have…