Even though it often feels like standardized testing is a relatively recent phenomena, it has been around at least since the 1800s, when in China, those that wanted a government job were required to take a test on their expertise of Confucian philosophy and poetry. During the Industrial Revolution, standardized tests were a quick way to test large…

What is the relationship between ACT scores and success in college? For decades, admissions policies in colleges and universities across the country have required applicants to submit scores from a college entrance exam, most typically the ACT (American College Testing) or SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). This requirement suggests that high school…

Placement tests are rapidly joining the ranks of high-stakes testing and college freshmen are required to take mathematics placement exams to determine their first mathematics course upon entering college. Unfortunately, these exams tend to place students in a lower-level or remedial course. As a result, additional expenses are incurred, degree…

Many students are not accepted in to certain colleges and universities because of low SAT scores. Loren Meierding has written Ace the Verbal on the SAT to help students with minimal preparation do well by improving their vocabulary and use better techniques for finding the answers to the questions. This book provides strategies needed to score…

Discusses controversies concerning the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in a conversation between National Endowment for the Humanities president, Lynne V. Cheney, and College Board president, Donald Stewart. The discussion centered around (1) the SAT as a predictor of college performance; (2) uses of achievement tests; and (3) education in…

Stresses that music teachers should be able to identify gifted and talented students for special programs. Explains some of the issues involved in the identification process, describes various types of data and data-gathering instruments that have been developed, and gives some general guidelines for setting up an identification procedure. (SLM)

This study reports data concerning spatial abilities of professional art students. It is part of an ongoing collection of data on spatial abilities on the incoming freshman class at a large major private art school. The battery of eight tests has proven to be highly reliable and valid in previous studies with the specific population. Researchers…

This set of 82 summaries is based on papers written between 1963 and 1982 concerning the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL is currently required by more than 2,500 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to determine the English proficiency of applicants whose native language is not English. It is also required…

In an interview, Benjamin Bloom outlines his reasons for studying the development of immensely talented people. He feels his study can help educators understand how all students can be more successful. (MD)

Procedures for predicting academic achievement at Indiana University, Bloomington, are examined, based on data for the 4,145 freshmen who entered the university in fall 1983. Three sets of prediction equations and a graphic scheme for determining probable first semester grade point averages (GPAs) for males and females are provided. Entering…

Administers an experimental college version of the Musical Aptitude Profile (CMAP) and 2 motivation measures to 187 nonmusic majors in a music appreciation course. Eliminates CMAP results from analysis resulting from low reliability. Includes data table that were significantly related. (NL)

Test instruments designed for limited English proficient (LEP) students from pre-school through adult are reviewed in this annotated bibliography. The assessments cited have been evaluated for reliability, validity, and equity, the latter being an emerging criterion in the process of evaluating assessment instruments. The tests most commonly used…

A description of the standardized, multiple-choice Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and how to use it is offered. Medical school admissions officers medical educators, college faculty members, and practicing physicians are active participants in selecting content, drafting test specifications, and authoring questions for the exam. The MCAT is…

This curriculum guide contains a 4-week course designed to address the problems students face in making career or job choices and selecting the appropriate high school courses to give them the necessary skills to achieve their career goal. It contains materials for teachers to use in doing the following: assist students in self-assessment, expand…

Discusses the structure and results of a university physics entry examination that measures students' expertise with mathematical tools and formal logic operations required for the study of college physics. Indicates that the examination adequately serves incoming students: to evaluate academic potential; to emphasize specific deficiencies; and to…