The major issues encountered by the testing staff of the Austin Independent School District when changing achievement tests were identified. The 1970 California Achievement Tests were replaced by the district with the 1978 Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The major tasks were selection of a new instrument and securing funds to purchase it. However,…

Six anomalies in achievement test scores encountered by the Austin Independent School District are described. These include crossing gaps with uninterpolated medians; total group median declines while all subgroups' medians rise; outlying total percentiles; percentile and grade equivalent growth antithesis; same grade equivalent earning a…

The Nairn report, The Reign of ETS, has charged that the major college admissions tests administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) have undue influence on admissions to higher education, and that the tests have little value in predicting future academic performance. Nairn's claims that the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a poor predictor…

Issues involved in standard setting along with methods for standard setting are reviewed, with specific reference to their relevance for criterion referenced testing. Definitions are given of continuum and state models, and traditional and normative standard setting procedures. Since continuum models are considered more appropriate for criterion…

The use of multidomain instruments for screening or diagnostic purposes with handicapped infants and preschoolers is reviewed. Purposes of assessment and criteria for instrument utility are presented. Five multidomain screening tools and three multidomain diagnostic instruments are reviewed with respect to their validity, reliability, and utility.…

Attempted to demonstrate the utility of Minnesota Multiphasic Pesonality Inventory in identifying sexual offenders against children by using offense characteristics, including gender of the victim, victim's age, relationship of victim to offender, whether the offender used physical force against the victim, and whether the offender molested the…

This study compared the system of presenting all spelling words at the beginning of the week and testing at the end of the week with a system of presenting a portion of the words each day and daily testing. Subjects were 13 fourth grade students. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

Longitudinal case studies of seven teachers in grades three, four, and five were conducted to determine teachers' use of curriculum-embedded tests in elementary mathematics instruction. Results indicated that among the three ways tests are used (student placement, content decisions, and student evaluation), student placement provided the most…

In this paper, scores from the Department of Education's table, "State Education Statistics," are examined to see if they can be used for state-by-state comparisons to aid in the evaluation of educational policies that vary across states. (Author/LMO)

This reply to William A. Mehrens argues that although some psychometricians are reluctant to endorse the use of test data for educational decision making, it is desirable that measurement specialists provide decision makers with practical, understandable ways to use test data. (JAZ)

The Street Survival Skills Questionnaire was administered to 55 mentally retarded adults, along with Part I of the Public School Version of the Adaptive Behavior Scale with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Three subtests of the questionnaire were operationalized using actual stimulus materials. Results support the appropriateness of this…

Twenty-two handicapped and 10 nonhandicapped young children were administered the Evaluation and Programing System Level 1 (EPS-1), a measure designed to provide information to develop educational programs and assess program effectiveness. The article notes reliability, validity, and utility data. (Author/CL)

Reviews the behaviors sampled, test administration, scoring, norms, reliability, and validity of the Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener (BASIS), an individually administered test that measures skill development in reading, mathematics, spelling, and writing. (BL)

Describes how the Allentown, Pennsylvania, public school district uses district-wide final examinations (along with some class-specific test items designed by teachers) to assess secondary school programs, provide "feedback" to teachers, and evaluate student mastery of learning objectives. (MCG)

A response, by Carlson, to the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report proposes establishment of an independent agency. This entity, in conjunction with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, would define common content domains, develop calibrated normed item banks, and develop content referenced reporting systems. (DWH)