Examines three forces affecting the minimum competency testing movement: the reluctance of professionals to accept it, court cases, and the question of how it should be applied to the handicapped student. (FL)

Admissions testing and its consequences are looked upon as a reflection of the current debate occurring in Western capitalist democracies concerning the optimization of freedom, fairness, and wealth. In dealing with the competition and conflict of values and interests, there can be no factual but political resolution. (Author/AL)

It is suggested that error of measurement cannot be routinely incorporated into the "error term" in statistical tests, and that the reliability of test scores does not have the simple relationship to statistical inference that one might expect. (Author/GK)

Examines teachers' major concerns about testing and offers advice about how to encourage teachers to respect the testing program. (WD)

Innovations in testing emerging from the competency assessment movement offer counselors new capabilities in helping clients to understand aspects of themselves and their problems, as well as to establish directions for development and improvement efforts. (Author)

Testing of 4,899 freshmen in the Massachusetts State College System using the system's domain-referenced Mathematics Placement Test suggests that male/female differences in mathematical ability have been exaggerated. (WD)

Inmates score significantly lower on the second edition (BETA II) than on the first edition (BETA I), regardless of the order of administration. BETA I score distributions were unaffected by the order of administration. BETA II score distributions depended on whether BETA II was administered first or second. (Author)

Describes tailored testing (in which a computer selects appropriate items from an item bank while an examinee is taking a test) and shows it to be superior to paper-and-pencil tests in such areas as reliability, security, and appropriateness of items. (IRT)

A systematic approach to individualized clinical assessment--one whose practices are referred to as collaborative, contextual, and interventional--is reviewed. The approach uses phenomenological psychology in its development. (Author/JKS)

The essay focuses on the interactive nature of the testing situation, calling attention to the need to examine factors specific to both tests and test takers (specifically the aurally handicapped) when assessing information validity. (SBH)

The minimum competency testing issue raises basic questions--who controls public education and what should be taught? (Author)

Having all students in a group respond to every question, rather than addressing questions to one student at a time, resulted in better behavior and content achievement among third graders. (Editor)

Testing is a means of obtaining information about people and their status. Too often tests and testing govern us as educators rather than being governed by us. Reviews the problem and offers some suggestions. (Editor)

The primary advantages of this method are qualitative and appear as improved student satisfaction, increased learning effectiveness, and increased academic quality. (Author/IRT)

Developed a multilevel item response (IRT) model that allows for differences between the distributions of item parameters of families of item clones. Results from simulation studies based on an item pool from the Law School Admission Test illustrate the accuracy of the item pool calibration and adaptive testing procedures based on the model. (SLD)