Discusses the purposes and goals of mathematics assessment, the features of locally developed versus standardized tests, the validation of assessment tests, the decisions made from test scores, and the fair preparation of students. (DMM)

The need to extend systematic assessment procedures for Australia's high school juniors and seniors to a broader range of learning outcomes, develop better reporting methods, and provide results that can be compared reasonably are discussed.Several approaches to achieving these objectives are compared. (MSE)

The dimensionality was assessed of 20 problem score measures derived from a nationally standardized written clinical simulation examination--the National Board for Respiratory Care--for which prior evidence of validity exists. The stability and generalizability of the resulting factor structure across examinee groups and test forms (N=5,679…

The article raises misgivings toward recent proposals to require standardized literacy testing for 10- to 14-year-olds in Australia. Three other papers on the dangers and possibilities of literacy assessment are reviewed. It is concluded that the teacher parent partnership and learning are threatened by an increased government role in assessment.…

Sources of current misuse of standardized tests in assessing the quality of home-based educational programs are identified. Development of new instruments and cooperation of concerned groups are suggested as a means of increasing educational alternatives, excellence, and accountability. (Author/TJH)

Current concepts of performance assessment are very promising, partly because they are consistent with approved curriculum practice. The contemporary rationale for performance assessment has been largely uninformed by past ideas and practices. Overreliance on standardized test scores prevails, despite the midcentury core curriculum movement and…

A tear-out folder provides information on alternative student assessment versus standardized testing, describing what alternative assessments do and do not consist of and involve. Information on student assessment statewide and nationwide is presented along with a discussion of the costs of alternative assessment. All information is presented in…

Addresses relationship between urban African American students' perceptions of schools and tests, exploring literature's treatment of cultural bias in tests, educational practices, schooling in general; test-related social, political, economic/vocational issues; fairness of testing as educational/social practice. Testing is biased toward…

The use of standardized psychoeducational diagnostic instruments to identify learning disabilities was evaluated with 19 students (ages 7 to 13) with sensorineural hearing impairments. Students with hearing impairment were found to demonstrate learning disabilities with a frequency similar to that found in students with normal hearing, suggesting…

Presented is a parent's viewpoint that criticizes assessment methods that diminish appreciation for diverse ways of knowing, discourage discovery and project-based learning, diminish the natural problem-solving aspects of play, and perpetuate the single right answer form of assessment. Assessment that values the child, includes all interested…

Educational achievement testing is discussed from four perspectives: (1) political accountability; (2) parental need for information on children's academic achievement; (3) the undue influence of achievement tests on curricula and instruction; and (4) students' views of testing. It is concluded that standardized testing has an overall negative…

Educational assessment in France is characterized by three current themes: (1) national standards and testing of student achievement; (2) mechanisms for promoting institutional quality control; and (3) development of curriculum-integrated approaches to assessment. (SK)

Although SAT and ACT test scores improved during 1992, the economy has not, resulting in lower teacher salary increases and increased numbers of teacher strikes. Children read relatively little, but literacy scores are in the top 10 among 32 nations recently surveyed. Women and minority administrators are making slow progress. (MLH)

A survey of basic academic skill requirements mandated by state departments of education for nonbaccalaureate degree teachers found that nondegree certification is moving away from the high school graduation criterion and toward the use of standardized or collegiate basic skill measures. (JOW)

The processes used in developing the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to eliminate cultural bias while still measuring skills related to academic success are described, including test item writing, pretesting, and validation. Test items from 1908, 1927, 1947, and 1980 tests illustrate the evolution of the examinations. (MSE)