Examinees who take high-stakes assessments are usually given an opportunity to repeat the test if they are unsuccessful on their initial attempt. To prevent examinees from obtaining unfair score increases by memorizing the content of specific test items, testing agencies usually assign a different test form to repeat examinees. The use of multiple…

Rebuts articles asserting that the steep decline in school test scores has been stopped. (IRT)

Data are provided to the National Commission on Excellence in Education on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Statistics are provided on the following: yearly GMAT mean scores 1965-1966…

Student scores on standardized tests have steadily declined since 1965. Researchers conducted a literature review and completed data analysis to determine the reasons for this decrease, assessing trends for the period from 1965 to 1983. The kinds of tests most commonly used are aptitude, achievement, and tests of personal and social…

Because the skills tested on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are higher order skills than those of basic literacy, teaching basic literacy will not necessarily improve SAT scores. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, which does test literacy, indicates that students do possess basic literacy skills. (IRT) Aspect of National…

Argues that the Coleman results make a great deal more sense when the test score results are interpreted as reflecting aptitude instead of achievement. (Author/ROF)

Georg Rasch has developed a new one-parameter latent trait model to explain the performance of examinees on achievement tests. The model can be viewed as a special case of Birnbaum's two-parameter logistic model where all items are assumed to have equal discriminating power. Birnbaum's model permits items to vary in discriminating power. Both…

The testing of every fourth-grade classroom in Massachusetts was carried out in an effort to answer the following questions: (1) What are the levels of mastery of basic skills in Massachusetts fourth grades? Are there differences in achievement between skills?; (2) What educational needs can be inferred for Massachusetts' students, based on basic…

The study is a simple statistical analysis of the ACT scores of the 1974-75 Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge graduates. Graduate students awarded advanced degrees are not included. For each college and field of study and for each of five ACT tests, these data are given: number of students, mean, middle two-thirds; range, standard deviation,…

Hawaii's testing program for 1971-72 is described, and test results are provided. Following an introduction and a glossary of technical terminology, narrative summaries of all the tests administered are provided. These tests are: California Test of Mental Maturity; California Achievement Test--Reading; SCAT; STEP--Reading, Mathematics, Writing,…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) that discusses an experimental aptitude test battery that measures aptitude for higher education, developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research. This battery will separate the selection of university students from the measurement of secondary school…

This synthesis of findings from 40 studies showed that students can raise their test scores by taking practice tests. The size of the gains were a function of three factors: identical vs. parallel forms of the test, number of practice tests, and ability level of the student. (Author/BW)

The 1970-71 standardized test data for grades three, six, nine and eleven in West Virginia are summarized. The report is presented in four major sections, one each for the grades tested, with analytical information using State, county and school norm groups. Each group division has illustrated an analysis of the following data: (1) a statewide…

Basic test terminology is explained for parents of school children. Terms which are defined include aptitude, achievement, criterion referenced tests, norm referenced tests, and intelligence quotient. Brief discussions of the advantages and limitations of tests are included. Testing is seen as providing valuable information to the school, students…

The Fall, 1974 South Carolina Statewide Testing Program was administered to nearly all of South Carolina's fourth and seventh grade students and a sample of ninth and eleventh grade students participated in the testing program. There were 49,068 fourth graders, about 98 percent, and 53,662 seventh graders, about 99 percent, tested. A…