Court cases are presented that illustrate some of the issues that courts have dealt with in the area of educational testing. While this study was developed primarily for parents, the booklet should also help school administrators and testing professionals learn about court cases and precedents relevant to some major issues in educational testing.…

A model is presented in which a test score is influenced by three factors: (1) the test itself, including the nature of the item tryout samples, the nature of the standardization group, the item scaling model and methods, the manner of item subset generation, logical strategies in test building, the format of questions, the test appearance, item…

The problems with traditional testing, particularly as they relate to minorities, are discussed; and psychological tests designed specifically for Blacks are reviewed. Considered are general problems, problems with testing at the higher education level and for employment, and moral and legal implications of the testing controversy. The rationale…

Four essential dimensions of a performance test are detailed: directness of test method, type of criterion, standardization of conditions, and objectivity of scoring. For simplicity these factors are described as if each were dichotomous, when in actuality each is a continuum; a test method may be more or less direct, conditions more or less…

This study is an a priori demonstration of the applicability of multiple matrix sampling techniques to the practical research problem of parameter estimation. Three tests were administered to two separate but parallel populations, with one receiving item samples and the other receiving full tests. Special efforts were made to minimize the context…

This paper reports on the administration of the Preschool Attainment Record (PAR), which is used to estimate developmental levels in children from 6 months to 8 years of age. The PAR was given to 17 5-year-old disadvantaged boys and girls of average intelligence. To reduce the tendency of evaluators to inflate scores, the test was administered by…

Achievement tests may be either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced. The norm-referenced test indicates an individual's proficiency level with respect to other individuals. A criterion-referenced test measures an individual's performance with respect to a specific level along the continuum of attainment. Further, an achievement test may be…

The Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) is a 210-item pair-comparison instrument designed to measure 20 vocationally relevant need dimensions: (1) ability utilization, (2) achievement, (3) activity, (4) advancement, (5) authority, (6) company policies and practices, (7) compensation, (8) co-workers, (9) creativity, (10) independence, (11)…

To compare the reliability of performance on recorded dictation tests with performance on live tests, 216 university students who were nearing completion of an intermediate shorthand course and 26 job applicants seeking stenographic positions were divided into 10 groups, with five receiving live dictation and five receiving recorded dictation. The…

The testing procedures used in an introductory psychology class at Utah State University are described. Students who had either taken the course earlier or were concurrently enrolled in the class served as testing managers. Rooms were capable of supporting up to 250 students during class time for written exams. "Permits" to take a test have…

The city-wide standardized testing program of Madison Public Schools was reviewed by a committee of a cross-section of school system educators as part of a total effort to design a testing program more sensitive to the needs of the system. As a result, standardized testing was reduced to reading (grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8) and mathematics (grade…

Michigan's superintendent of public instruction is convinced that a state testing program can provide the kind of information educators need to improve instructional planning. (Author)

Presents survey results of 24 examination boards concerning their positions on the use of electronic calculators in exams. (CP)

This response to a previous article concerning the use of the CBEST considers the importance of periodic review of testing and scoring procedures, the uses and improvement of these procedures, and the search for alternatives which better suit the intended purposes. (CB)

Psychological assessment, a subspecialty of psychology has served as one of the earliest proving grounds of automated technology. This Special Series highlights some of the advances in computerized psychological assessment methods and discusses some of the lingering issues and contemporary problems with automated psychological assessment…