The necessity for relevance in making and using norms is discussed. Two major points are made (1) norms should yield meaning in terms of the particular purpose for which the testing is done; and (2) legitimate and illegitimate general norms abound in test manuals. These principles are presented as practical guides: (1) avoid unjustified general…

Based on a paper presented at the 1977 Western Social Science Association Meeting in Denver, Colorado, the article reports on a study that compared major demographic features of a sample of 70 legally blind adults with the sighted adult sample studied in the 1975 National Opinion Research Center General Social Survey. (Author/DLS)

After reviewing attempts to create national school finance equity assessments, the authors propose a model of equity assessment that can be used as a national standard in judging the relative equity of state school finance models. (Author/IRT)

The authors criticize an article by John Carrol in the February 1987 "Phi Delta Kappan" in which he discussed the Reading Proficiency Scale issued by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. They feel the Reading Proficiency Scale has limited usefulness. Includes 21 references. (Author/MD)

A compendium of advice from test experts and schoolmen who are actually involved in releasing test scores. (Author)

Some results from the first year of the national assessment of educational progress project. (RA) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Interpretation).

While major test publishers randomly select school districts for their national norming studies, a survey of "accepting" and "declining" districts supports the hypothesis that self-selection bias results in overrepresentation of districts which already use a specific publisher's tests or instructional materials. (Author/BW)

Examines the failure of secondary schools as reflected in the poor public opinion of school performance and the decline in students' test scores. Suggests that a more careful analysis be made of how students spend their time, with the objective of increasing the number of hours spent on learning tasks. (JP)

Reviews data indicating that overall reading achievement in the primary grades is as good or better than ever before, and points to inaccuracies in critics' claims to the contrary. (MKM)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) gathers information about national levels of education achievement that helps explain and interpret other research, policy efforts, and the phenomena of unanticipated changes in American education. (Author) Primary type of information provided by report: Program Description (Program Goals)…

Focuses on the historical and sociolinguistic studies that illuminate corpus planning processes. These processes are broken down and discussed under two categories: those related to the establishment of norms, referred to as codification, and those related to the extension of the linguistic functions of language, referred to as elaboration. (60…

Examines history of Title I--Better Schooling for Educationally Deprived Children--program since its inception in 1965. Notes difficulties encountered by Title I in developing accountability models. Relates history to testing companies' reactions to federal policy. Discusses the history of assessment programs, what types of tests are used, and the…

Because youth gangs tend to cluster in disadvantaged neighborhoods, adolescents living in such neighborhoods are more likely to encounter opportunities to join youth gangs. However, in the face of these opportunities, not all adolescents respond in the same manner. Those with preexisting psychopathic tendencies might be especially likely to join.…

The aim of this study was to examine whether there was variation in levels of psychological adjustment among children conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technologies using the parents' gametes (homologous), sperm donation, egg donation, embryo donation and surrogacy. Information was provided by parents about the psychological functioning of…