This paper reviews the successful development of an educational testing system using sophisticated data processing in a developing Caribbean nation. Begun in 1975, the 4-year program was devised to assist in the creation of a multi-national testing agency which would replace the existing British Overseas Examinations with an indigenous assessment…

AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO EVALUATE WHETHER (1) BIOGRAPHICAL DATA AND (2) MEASURES OF APTITUDES, ABILITIES, INTERESTS, AND MOTIVATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE RELATED TO THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF ADULT STUDENTS. DETERMINATIONS WERE MADE, ALSO, ON WHETHER MEASURES OF SUCH DATA AND CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE USED TO PREDICT ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN THE SEVERAL AREAS…

THIS STUDY DEVELOPED AN INDIVIDUAL TEST FOR ASSESSING A MUSIC INSTRUMENTALIST'S ACHIEVEMENT WHILE SIGHT-READING RHYTHMS. A MATHEMATICAL SYSTEM WAS USED TO CONSTRUCT 300 RHYTHMICAL PROBLEMS CONSISTING OF 1 OR MORE MEASURES OF MUSICAL NOTATION. BASED ON PRETESTING RESULTS, A TEST WAS CONSTRUCTED OF 200 FLASH CARDS ARRANGED IN ORDER OF DIFFICULTY.…

This paper briefly discusses the use of item sampling for student evaluation in a summative evaluation context. Its proposition is that item sampling is a means of achieving better and broader student evaluation because it leaves room for individualized evaluation. Item sampling can be implemented properly by associating it to the concept of item…

The determination of when a child is ready to enter kindergarten or first grade varies from school district to school district. Currently, many school systems are reevaluating their criteria for school entry. In some school systems, chronological age appears to be the sole criterion; in others, social and learning readiness are also primary…

The profile of American education in the twentieth century, especially at the secondary and postsecondary undergraduate levels, is mirrored in the chronology of College Board policies and programs over its 75-year history. After a review of the first 75 years, speculation is made on the next 25 years and the shapes that may be taken by American…

Three key areas are outlined dealing with the development of public understanding of testing: (1) Why tests are administered in schools: needs assessment, instructional program evaluation, materials selection, reporting to public, documenting individual growth, diagnostic analysis and planning, and instructional grouping. (2) Types of tests used,…

This is a progress report of the Demonstration of an Improved Science Curriculum for Underachieving Students (DISCUS) project for 1968-69. This project is based on the premise that if underachieving junior high school youth are separated from their more successful peers, placed in a success-oriented environment, and provided with a series of…

A personalized system of instruction (PSI) was used to teach an undergraduate course in the principles and procedures of behavior modification. In most courses utilizing PSI, proctors grade quizzes and discuss the incorrect answers with the students. This study investigated the effect these discussions had on the students' quiz performance. The…

Student retention in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs is the focus of this monograph. The means for solving the dropout problem in ABE programs are discussed from the answers to questions of why students enroll in ABE, what basic needs should be considered early in an ABE program, what procedures should be followed in orienting new students,…

This report summarizes four English Language Arts studies sponsored by the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning under the project title "A Structure of Concept Attainment Abilities": (1) "Selection and Analysis of Language Arts Concepts for Inclusion in Tests of Concept Attainment," (2) "Items to Test Level of…

The activities of the Nucleus Testing Committee, particularly its Curriculum Related Subcommittee, of the Madison, Wisconsin public schools are described in relation to its effort to bring about increased awareness of the need for reexamination of both district-wide and local school evaluation procedures. The sub-committee's recommendations are…

Confidence weighting (CW) tends to improve the reliability of easy tests; the Coombs-type multiple-response (MR) option tends to improve the reliability of hard tests. It was hypothesized that, on a test of moderate difficulty, offering both the CW and MR response options would improve reliability more than either alone. Twenty-four subjects took…