Discusses the effects of a grammar test on student admission to the department of communication at the University of Central Florida. (HOD)

Compares three statistical methods for measuring the weight of examination components in determining the ranking of overall results. The authors demonstrate the limitations in using standard deviation and part-with-whole correlations and show how covariance techniques provide the best indicators of component weights. Theoretical objections to the…

This essay looks at the background of teacher competency testing and the conditions contributing to dissatisfaction with the educational system. Short-term consequences of testing are described. (MT)

The limitations of objectives tests, the language skills needed for university work, and effective ways of appraising and communicating these skills to the university are discussed. The goals of university English as a second language (ESL) programs is to train international students in the linguistic and academic skills they will need in American…

Highlights a promising innovation, Michigan's college scholarship program for students who perform well on state tests. The scholarships are based on students' performance on an external exam that reflects the state's recommended curriculum. Georgia also has the merit-based Hope scholarship program. (MLF)

Teacher competency testing for the purpose of screening persons prior to state certification continues to be on the upswing in the United States. Many states have implemented paper-pencil tests, most of which were prepared by Educational Testing Service and National Evaluation Systems. Problem areas to consider when certification tests are used to…

This paper examines Howard University's Center for Academic Reinforcement (CAR), which provides college compensatory education to underprepared students. Research findings from CAR and the academic and non-academic factors related to students' successful completion of the program are discussed. The research findings reported include: (1) the…

This paper discusses one of the arguments that has been advanced against the use of standardized college admissions tests: the notion that their use leads admissions officers to reject non-Asian minority students on the basis of small and insignificant differences in scores. In the aggregate, the disadvantage minority students face as a result of…

Examines a sampling of current ESL reading instruction practices, addressing the concern that the lack of a generally accepted theory of L2 reading constitutes a major obstacle to teaching and testing ESL reading skills. Summarizes the results of two studies and discusses their implications for ESL teachers. (MES)

The battle over whether literature or composition should dominate English instruction is the consequence of a perception that composition instructors who do not use literature as their primary source material have nothing substantial to offer in its place. A survey of 19 colleges and universities in New York revealed that institutions with a…

Presents a case study comparing a native-speaker undergraduate's performance on an examination and a coursework essay. Relational analysis facilitated text-linguistic comparison of two texts. The study contrasts an adequate handling of material in memory in examination conditions with the uncertain handling of difficult source materials. (40…

A bill introduced in the New York State Legislature on April 26, 1979, would require that all tests used for postsecondary or professional school admissions become "public records" after they have been administered. The New York State Education Department is opposed to this bill because it would greatly increase the cost of test…

Contradictions are inherent in the evaluation of placement test writing, contradictions that at once value and devalue writers and writing, readers and reading. In testing, the evidence for the essay's effectiveness rests almost entirely on the writer's choice of linguistic forms. The characteristics that distinguish evaluation in competency…

The context of the debate over secure versus open testing is described, with particular emphasis on tests used for postsecondary or professional school admission. Recently introduced federal and state legislation on testing is also described. Four arguments in support of open testing are summarized: (1) fairness demands that tests be open; (2)…

Florida's Commissioner of Education recently appointed a task force to review current standards for the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) and the effect of raising the levels of passing scores that are proposed for 1989. There is now a sufficient history of the CLAST to provide an understanding of the program's benefits and liabilities.…