This article is a commentary of a paper by Derek C. Briggs and Frederick A. Peck, "Using Learning Progressions to Design Vertical Scales That Support Coherent Inferences about Student Growth," which describes an elegant potential framework for at least beginning to address three priorities in large-scale assessment that have not been…

G. Burket's criticisms regarding calculation and interpretation of group scores on norm-referenced tests are discussed. Burket and Baglin seem to agree on the existence of a problem in the calculation and interpretation of group scores on norm-referenced tests but disagree on the issue of that problem's causes and solutions. (TJH)

Criticizes attempts by states to institute statewide testing programs as a means of improving school accountability. Discusses various examples of how this is being carried out. Presents four recommendations for testing programs. (HB)

Describes procedures for participatory examinations, a method for achieving student collaboration in marketing education. Suggests that the method teaches students group process, persuasion, teamwork, and other skills needed in the contemporary workplace. (SK)

Defining critical thinking as a conscious process means that teachers can make students aware of the process and can affect the process. In addition, teachers can help students to evaluate their use of the process. The goal in any course is to involve students in the practice of critical thinking, and the oral exam reflects the students'…

School effectiveness cannot be assessed by comparing group performances on standardized tests. Instead, each child's progress, in accordance with his or her capabilities, should be measured. Certain assessment models can help chart individuals' progress in reading and writing. Focusing on individual results enchances collective program assessment.…

A group's average test score is often used to evaluate different educational approaches, curricula, teachers, and schools. Studies of group test scores over time often try to measure "value-added" by holding constant certain student characteristics such as race, parents' education, or socioeconomic status; however, the important…

Four points are made in regard to the controversial reaction times studies: (1) apparatus used is not the best; (2) practice effects have not been thoroughly accounted for; (3) there is some evidence that simple reactions are different from choice ones; and (4) basic data to be explained are those which show substantial group differences.…

Maintains that science is often used as a justification to propose, project, and enact racist social policies. The philosophy of Social Darwinism is reviewed, and its assumptions about race and human abilities is discussed. The consequences of scientific racism for dominant groups are analyzed. (GR)

In the specific methods of standard setting in testing, judgments about individuals being tested, contrasting groups being tested, and judgments about the test items are discussed. In judgments about individual test-takers, assumptions are presented based on the knowledge and skills the test is intended to measure, the test-takers' skills at the…

Responds to Lustig's (1987) critique of Bales and Cohen's (1979) interpersonal rating forms. Results are reported from a test of the Bales and Cohen rating forms administered to 145 subjects from a variety of organizations, and revisions are proposed based on methodological and theoretical considerations. (TE)

Purpose of mini-series is to present current conceptualizations of the structure of intelligence, new research on human cognitive abilities and their interpretations, and pertinent, practical considerations regarding the use of intelligence tests in schools. Discusses educational-policy issues as well as diagnostic and treatment-utility issues.…

Argues that Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" (1994) merely restates the notion that intelligence can be reduced to a single ordinal measure, i.e., the primary factor for determining group or individual social-class status. Evidence from the biological sciences and quantitative genetics is presented that reveals that social…

Discusses the future of computerized adaptive testing (CAT), i.e., experimental tests developed by the Educational Testing Service in response to criticism of the Standardized Aptitude Tests (SATs). CAT examinations are individually tailored to each test taker, and researchers believe they are more predictive than conventional SATs. (JJD)

Since the late 1960s, curriculum and instruction have increasingly become "test driven." Research documents the negative effects of standardized testing on instruction, students, and teachers. At their best, tests reflect students' ability to take tests. Research supports the need for change in testing policies. Massive testing must be eliminated,…