Discusses the issues related to the testing of listening comprehension in the context of the 1986 American Council Teaching Foreign Language Proficiency Guidelines. Four issues are singled out: the meaning of context in testing listening; the concept of criterion-referenced tests; the notion of specific purposes in testing; and the use of…

Although gender differences are fairly consistent when men and women report their general confidence, much less is known about the existence of such differences when subjects are asked to assess the degree of confidence they have in their ability to answer any particular test or exam question. The objective of this research was to investigate…

Examines reasons why student assessment is undergoing reform, discussing how such reform may affect the nation's schools. The paper describes why school reform is occurring, notes how reform of assessment fits school reform, explains types of assessments and assessment designs, and highlights practical and technical challenges inherent in using…

Increasing emphasis on assessment and concern about assessment techniques have stirred interest in alternative assessment forms, for which evidence is needed about consequences, transfer of performance on specific assessment tests, and assessment fairness. Criteria concerning consequences, fairness, transfer-generalizability, cognitive complexity,…