Commercially available tests and measurement instruments for use with English-speaking subjects are described and reviewed. Only tests that are new, have been revised since last reviewed in the Mental Measurements Yearbook series, or are considered established and highly used are included. The contents are as follows: (1) a bibliography of…

This digest highlights one tool that teachers use--standardized tests--from the parent's viewpoint. The discussion covers basic features of testing and suggests questions that a parent might ask his or her child's teacher concerning such tests. Standardized tests are usually objective tests sold by commercial publishers and designed to provide a…

This guide provides general information about the Achievement Testing Program as well as specific information about the design, the composition, and the scoring of the Grade 9 English Language Arts Achievement Test. The guide contains samples of writing assignments and reading selections contained in the test, as well as objectives, explanation of…

This paper discusses new psychometric analyses that improve capabilities for relating performance on achievement test items to instruction received by examinees. The modeling discussion is closely tied to data for eighth graders in the United States provided by the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS), comprising not only responses to a…

This document presents product evaluations of the 1988-89 Saginaw (Michigan) State Bilingual Program and the Migrant Program, funded under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. The evaluations revealed a decline in reading performance, and an increase in mathematics performance over the previous year for participants in the…

Current information about tests and testing procedures is provided for school district staff, particularly in districts without specially trained testing directors. Practical information is given about selecting and administering tests and about reporting results effectively. This guide opens with a discussion of the basic principles of testing.…

Aptitude tests are defined in contrast to intelligence and achievement tests. Although aptitude tests, like intelligence tests, measure a student's overall performance across a broad range of mental capabilities, the former also often include items that measure more specialized abilities (such as verbal and numerical skills) that predict…

In 1988, the Alaska State Board of Education adopted regulations requiring the selection and annual administration of a basic skills achievement test in reading, mathematics and language arts in grades 4, 6, and 8 for at least 6 consecutive years. During October, 1989. 95%, or 23,372 students in grades 4, 6, and 8 in Alaska's 54 school districts…

The issue of parallel forms is of paramount importance for producers of standardized tests. With increasing emphasis being placed on standardized test results it is necessary that each student achieve the same standard score regardless of the form he or she was administered. In the case of the American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program,…

The Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests are specially designed instruments for use by teachers, supervisors, and administrators to evaluate and diagnose vocational achievement for improving instruction in secondary vocational programs at the 11th and 12th grade levels. This guide explains the Ohio Vocational Achievement Tests and how they are used.…

The oral proficiency interview should be administered infrequently, but there are other measures than can be used between interviews to maintain oral proficiency and achievement as the organizing principles of instruction while placing fewer demands on the teacher/tester. One such measure is a semi-direct procedure that has two steps. First,…

The current technology of computerized testing is discussed, and a few comments are made on how such technology might be used for assessing school-related skills as part of the National Assessment of Educational progress (NAEP). The critical feature of computerized assessment procedures is that the test items are presented in interactive fashion,…

Studies and analyses conducted by the Assessment Center at Sacramento City College (SCC) between fall 1983 and fall 1984 provided the data on SCC's students and services which are presented in this report. Following an overview of the significant findings of the year's research efforts, part I sets forth the purpose of the report and part II…

This paper discusses distribution theory and power computations for four common "tests of combined significance." These tests are calculated using one-sided sample probabilities or p values from independent studies (or hypothesis tests), and provide an overall significance level for the series of results. Noncentral asymptotic sampling…

A method for obtaining curriculum-based estimates of student achievement is described. These estimates can be obtained through the use of a set of curriculum weights designed to reflect student opportunity to learn. If the match between the presented curriculum and test content is low, then the curriculum weights can be used to minimize potential…