This reference resource provides a comprehensive listing of tests, keyed to behavioral and educational objectives of elementary school education. Each test, or when appropriate, a subtest of a test, was evaluated by educators and measurement specialists. Four main criteria were selected for evaluating the tests: measurement validity, examinee…

Among the new testing developments are the use of objectives or goals in instruction, competency based approaches to instruction, criterion referenced testing, and performance oriented testing. These new approaches often emphasize individualized learning; each student's progress is individually monitored by comparison with clear statements of what…

Based on a review of standardized tests and competency assessment instruments, recommendations are made for identifying and selecting standardized tests to help secondary vocational instructors to develop students' basic skills. Chapter 1 focuses on identifying diagnostic tests of basic skills in reading, mathematics, and communication. It…

This paper reports the results of a study which examined the longitudinal relationships between young children's classroom behavior and their performance on achievement tests. Subjects were 235 children who made up the first cohort to attend kindergarten in the public schools of North Carolina. Data were collected at four points: at the beginning…

The results and methodology of the South Carolina 1977-78 statewide spring testing program for grades 3, 6, and 11 are presented and discussed. The discussion of the results focuses on a comparison of the 1978 results to national norms, a comparison of 1978 to 1977 results, a performance comparison across grade levels, and a comparison of skill…

This study explored the assumption that the percentile rank of a group of students should be expected to remain the same on a post-test as on a pretest when the treatment of the group in the intervening period was the same as the treatment of the norms population. This assumption is basic to the use of the norm-referenced model for the assessment…

This paper reports an investigation of inferencing in Form Five of the Reading Comprehension component of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The first step in the investigation consisted of an analysis of the language of the test to determine how the inferencing strategies employed might serve to mask answers. This preliminary analysis suggested that…

This handbook is designed to assist teachers in using the Science Item Bank to construct diagnostic tests and end-of-course achievement tests. The item bank consists of over 2,800 multiple-choice items, and teachers are encouraged to supplement this source of test items with other forms of test questions. Key answers to these questions are arrived…

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) was designed to provide information on the extent to which Michigan students have attained minimal performance objectives. This manual was written to help local Michigan school district staff read, interpret, and use MEAP data. The 1977-78 MEAP provided objective-referenced achievement measures in…

The extent, causes, and importance of context effects on item parameters for one- and three-parameter latent-trait models were examined. Items were taken from the California Achievement Tests Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Concepts and Applications subtests. The reading items were administered to 1,678 fourth-grade students, and the…

TESTING IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE NATURE OF AUDIOLINGUAL TEACHING REQUIRES GREAT AMOUNTS OF FEEDBACK, REINFORCEMENT, AND VERIFICATION. TESTS CAN MEASURE APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT, CAN DIAGNOSE, AND, MOST IMPORTANT, CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOL. MANY TEACHING TECHNIQUES ARE EXCELLENT FOR TESTING AND SOME…

THIS REPORT DESCRIBES A 5-YEAR PROGRAM IN A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SERVING A DISADVANTAGED POPULATION. FROM THE OUTSET THE PROGRAM HAS AIMED TO RAISE ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS, ENCOURAGE ABLE STUDENTS TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION, OFFER CULTURAL ENRICHMENT, ENHANCE PUPIL SELF-IMAGE, REDUCE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS, INVOLVE PARENTS IN THE…

Before selecting an achievement test, it is essential to determine its purpose. There are eight purposes, relating to three educational decision making contexts: (1) instructional managerial (diagnosis, course placement, career guidance); (2) screening (selection and certification) and (3) programmatic (survey assessment, formative evaluation,…

This report describes the implementation of a training program designed to help Head Start teachers and assistants use the Responsive Model Head Start program in their classroom. Teachers trained at five locations in California with workshops and inservice training units, were required to study materials, videotape themselves with children, and…

The relationship between children's performance on a standardized achievement battery and compositional writing performance was examined. One hundred thirty-eight writing samples were collected from fourth-grade students. Compositions were scored for both mechanistic and holistic qualities. Four subscores on the Metropolitan Achievement Test were…