The uses of standardized test results are discussed and various measurement terms are defined. Scores on criterion referenced tests are interpreted by relating performance to some predetermined criterion, whereas scores on norm-referenced tests are interpreted by comparing them with scores obtained by members of the group on which the test was…

This guide is designed to help parents gain a better understanding of testing and its role in the education of their children. It answers the following questions: (1) What are standardized tests? (2) What do standardized test scores tell me about my child? (3) How are standardized test scores used? (4) What are the limitations of standardized…

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) is a statewide program designed to ensure that all students attending public colleges and universities have the basic reading, mathematics, and writing skills necessary to perform effectively at the college level. All entering first-time freshmen are required to take the TASP test, which has a basic skills…

This bulletin contains general information about the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Program in Alberta, Canada. All twelfth graders must write at least one diploma examination to receive a high school diploma. The examination certifies academic achievement in English 30 and 33, Social Studies 30, Mathematics 30, Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Physics…

This manual is designed to accompany Pennsylvania's Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) elementary school reports to assist in their interpretation and understanding. The normative sample is described as stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administration procedures are summarized. The cognitive and non-cognitive areas…

This manual is designed to accompany Pennsylvania's Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) secondary school reports to assist in their interpretation and understanding. The normative sample is described as stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administration procedures are summarized. The cognitive and non-cognitive areas…

This is the fourth in a series of six monographs developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. Sharing MEAP test reports with parents gives them information on their child's basic skills and generates parent involvement and support for the school. This sharing should be addressed on…

This supplement is intended to help schools get the maximum amount of useful information from test results; information that will be helpful in program monitoring, grouping, planning instructional activities, and reporting results to parents and community. Contents include an introduction to test interpretation and interpreting of test scores;…

The literature related to reporting, interpreting, and utilizing test results for norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing is reviewed; and the prerequisites and other important characteristics of a good report are described. Guidelines are also provided for the development or evaluation of reporting systems for criterion-referenced tests…

The Delaware Student Testing Program ties student achievement to the state's content standards that define the knowledge and skills Delaware students need to succeed beyond high school. This report presents information to help parents interpret their children's scores on the tests, which are given in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. Section 1 introduces…

In 1988, the New Jersey Legislature passed legislation that moved the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) from ninth to eleventh grade. This test of basic skills in reading, mathematics, and writing will be a graduation requirement for all students in New Jersey who enter high school on or after September 1, 1991. In October 1994 the test was…

After tests are administered, they are scored and the scores are given back to the students. If the real purpose of the test is to improve student learning, simply returning the scores is not sufficient. The first step in evaluating test results is to be sure that the test has tested the intended concepts and content. Calculating the mean and the…

This manual is designed to accompany Pennsylvania's Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) intermediate school reports to assist in their interpretation and understanding. The normative sample is described as stratified on two dimensions: district enrollment and wealth. Administration procedures are summarized. The cognitive and non-cognitive areas…

This is the second of six monographs on procedures developed to help local educators use and report Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test results. Because it annually provides student performance information on 10 essential skills in grades 3, 4 and 9, the MEAP test results can be an important aid to teachers in assessing individual…

Guidelines are presented for use by school personnel in reviewing and improving locally developed proficiency tests used in meeting the requirements of the California Pupil Proficiency Law. The guide is organized in three main chapters on test construction, test validation, and test documentation. The test construction chapter focuses on issues…