This paper presents the full results from a 2008/2009 research study examining the application of a "learning environment" paradigm to the school library setting. The preliminary results from the examination of the Fifth Grade science classes were presented at the IASL 2009 Research Forum. We now report the process of completing our…

Prompted by some disturbing trends of reducing enrollment among females and minorities in an earlier study (Borman, Workman, Miller & Micceri, 2006), this study, using data from over 600,000 Florida State University System (SUS) applicants, demonstrates empirically how a trend that began during World War II helps ensure that males and…

In this address to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, the Executive Director of the National Education Association (NEA) outlines the Association's objections to standardized tests. First, the interpretations of tests are usually based on several fallacious assumptions about education. For example, to say that a skill can be tested implies…

This paper examines three types of Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) trends that may represent Promise effects: 1) trends in overall enrollment, 2) trends in relative enrollment by ethnic group, and 3) trends in KPS achievement on the standardized test used by the state of Michigan for No Child Left Behind accountability, the Michigan Educational…

U.S. teacher educators are faced with serious challenges to demonstrate the quality of the graduates they prepare. These challenges are expressed in the country's fixation on accountability and testing. We are witnessing the growth of standardized tests and alternative routes to certification as panaceas intended to solve the teacher shortage…

This presentation will demonstrate the uses of SAM 2003 from Course Technology as a skills assessment and training software that is used via the Internet. Historically, testing in computer education has taken the form of pencil and paper or standardized testing. The actual computer skills of the student have not been properly assessed. With SAM,…

Provides a comprehensive and integrated treatment of both conditional absolute standard errors of measurement (SEM) and conditional relative SEMs from the perspective of generalizability theory. Illustrates the approach with examples from commercial standardized tests. Examples support the conclusion that both types of conditional SEMs tend to be…

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised were administered in a conterbalanced design to 14 educable mentally handicapped 16-year-olds. Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores were compared. Correlations and matched t-tests were computed and the results indicated that Verbal and…

A study involving 18 boys and 20 girls attending Grade 1 in a rural elementary school was conducted to determine if a program designed to develop test-taking skills would result in higher standardized achievement test scores than would one focusing on the content assessed by the test. Each student was assigned to one of two groups and administered…

This study investigated the number-correct scoring method based on different theories (classical true-score theory and multidimensional item response theory) when a standardized test requires more than one ability for an examinee to get a correct response. The number-correct scoring procedure that is widely used is the one that is defined in…

This paper describes the use of oral examinations to assess the clinical judgment of aspiring physicians. Oral examinations have been used in U.S. medicine since 1917. Currently, 15 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties administer 17 different standardized oral examinations to approximately 10,000 physician candidates…

Used data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to look at student, classroom, and school factors influencing mathematics achievement in Australia and the United States. Found that classroom differences account for about one-third of the variation in student achievement in the United States and over one-quarter in…

Recent developments in software and hardware capabilities have made possible the combination of the Music Achievement Test (MAT) series and the PLATO music programs as a new delivery system. Initial reactions to the PLATO administration of digital to analog (D to A) testing in music have been positive; the immediate feedback available by computer,…

Discusses the intellectual history supporting the use of educational testing and describes four current tensions in testing: (1) learning and change versus measurement models; (2) quality of information and policy use; (3) precision versus utility; and (4) individual attainment versus standardized attainment. (SLD)

A study was undertaken to assess the relationship between the DMI Mathematics Systems Objective Inventory (DMIMS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) content by process matrix prepared for the Fourth Assessment of Mathematics. The DMIMS is a criterion-referenced standardized test comprised of seven levels, and it can be used…