A decision of whether to move from paper-and-pencil to computer-based tests is based largely on a careful weighing of the potential benefits of a change against its costs, disadvantages, and challenges. This paper briefly discusses the trade-offs involved in making such a transition, and then focuses on a relatively unexplored benefit of…

Students must choose when to take the ACT for the first time and if and when to retest. States and districts that administer the ACT test to all students must also choose when to administer the test. A key consideration in making these decisions is the impact on scores. Because the ACT is a curriculum-based test of academic achievement, students…

The GED® test was built from the ground up to give students a test that measures the skills they need to succeed. The test focuses on the foundational knowledge and skills needed for career- and college-readiness, so colleges and employers know that students who pass the GED® test have the skills to excel on the job or in the classroom. This…

Special preparation for tests has been a relatively contentious issue. The controversy has entailed (a) disagreement over the effectiveness of such preparation, (b) concern over unequal access to it, and (c) worries about its impact on the validity of test scores. This paper provides a brief history of ETS's involvement with, and contribution to,…

Approximately 52% of school psychologists with doctorate degrees take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) each year. A passing score on the EPPP is a mandatory requirement in all 50 states and in most provinces in Canada for licensure as an independent provider of psychological services. Approximately 300 students…

In the arena of educational testing, accessibility refers to the degree to which students are given the opportunity to participate in and engage a test. Accessibility theory is a model for examining the interactions between the test-taker and the test itself and defining how they may decrease some students' access to the test event, ultimately…

Despite their current popularity, many still view coaching schools for college admissions as somehow vaguely unethical, as a form of "teaching to the test." But "coaching" as an instructional exercise only crosses some ethical line of propriety when instructors have access to and in fact teach the actual items that will appear…

This is a step-by-step guidebook that is designed to help students on the quantitative section of the SAT. This guidebook produces an understanding of key mathematical concepts as the various topics are covered by the text, and, unlike other SAT guides, lists skills and capabilities, that if mastered will result in well-prepared students. More…

Teachers can do something to help ensure students will do better on tests. They can actively teach test-taking skills so pupils will be better armed in the battle to acquire knowledge. The author challenges teachers to use the suggestions provided in this article in the classroom, and to share them with their students. Test-taking strategies will…

After students take their first exam in an accounting course, tax accounting and intermediate accounting in this case, their reactions to their test scores may be varied. This is their first major assessment of how they have performed in the class. The students in the class near the high end of the grading scale are going to be satisfied with…

What can teachers do in their classrooms to help students prepare for a high-stakes, standardized, multiple-choice reading test without sacrificing what they know to be best practice? Decreasing class sizes or other solutions that require substantial changes in school finance are not usually realistic options. This article outlines five…

Although cognitive style affects test results, students of various cognitive styles are expected to perform equally well on standardized tests. Informal tests seem to be better for both impulsive and reflective style students. Perhaps a combination of standardized and informal testing is appropriate for making educational decisions about students.…

Using college entrance exams as a primary criterion for college admission discriminates against minorities and the poor, but the practice continues. Coaching for these exams is done in test preparation clinics. One clinic run by the NAACP substantially raised the scores of Blacks but not those of minorities as a whole. (VM)

Describes how two low-achieving, high-poverty school districts raised the test scores of their students. The El Centro school district's inquiry-science approach raised elementary science test scores, as well as mathematics and reading scores. Twin Falls improved test scores by adopting the Standardized Timed Curriculum, which involved components…

This paper presents a program for counseling students enrolled in an online charter school located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The author presents a review of the process to establish an online school in Nevada and a unique model for delivery of services that combines face-to-face instruction and online education. The author describes the development of…