This compilation of descriptions of State testing programs is based upon responses to a mail survey of the departments of education in the 50 States, the Canal Zone, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It was found that 42 of these offer 74 testing programs (with 18 offering two or more), 9 provide only limited testing services, and 8 do…

In this Test Collection Bulletin, annotated listings are provided of tests that have been acquired by Educational Testing Service, of tests that have been announced, of test reviews, and of new references. The test acquisitions are categorized as to type of test, as follows: Achievement; Aptitude; Personality Interests, Attitudes, and Opinions;…

Brief annotations of currently available instruments appropriate for use with Spanish-speaking children are presented. Measures in such areas as intelligence, personality, ability, and achievement are included and separate indexes are given. The annotation provides information concerning the purpose of the test; the groups for which it is…

The policy of making submission of SAT scores optional has little merit and no coherence. If colleges begin to rely on achievement tests, the advantage will shift to upper income students with access to better secondary education, to coaches, and test preparation centers. (MLW)

A school administrator in 1928 expressed a favorable opinion of standardized intelligence and achievement tests, based on research findings correlating test scores with student achievement. Quotations from his article reveal how little the controversy over tests has changed in the intervening years. (TE)

Bowdoin College has allowed applicants to submit or withhold SAT scores since 1970. Admissions operations under this policy are reviewed. The validity of the SAT is evaluated, and the academic records of matriculated submitters are compared with the withholders. (Author/MLW)

Provides a general description of the aims of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and focuses on the reasons for the recent declines in verbal and math scores. Also notes the best sorts of preparation--both general academic and specific preparation--for achieving high SAT scores. (JW)

Is there a relationship between the dollar value of property behind each student in a school district and student achievement on standardized tests (or achievement in general)? This paper explains that probably due to the relationship between property taxes and school funding, there is a strong link between property value and student achievement.…

Individual differences in digit span, susceptibility to proactive interference, and various aptitude/achievement test scores were investigated in two experiments with college students. Results indicated that digit span was strongly correlated with aptitude/achievement scores, but did not indicate that susceptibility to proactive interference…

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) appears to be an effective predictor of school achievement for 31 English-speaking second-grade Mexican-American children. High Pearson product-moment correlations were obtained between MSCA and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. (Author/PN)

Explores the practice of basing college admissions decisions on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) over conventional achievement tests. Suggests that the SAT does not reward diligence, and the SAT implies that secondary school instruction is unimportant. Supports changing the admissions system to reward those who learn most in secondary school.…

Test validity, coaching, the college admissions process, and achievement tests are discussed by the director of the Iowa Testing Programs. Data published on the SAT are examined. It is suggested that systematic instruction in problem-solving skills may improve not only test performance but also skills the test is designed to assess. (Author/MLW)

This paper investigated the role of family encouragement in the gender gap seen in mathematical talent. Results of 340 pairs of questionnaires completed by students scoring high on the Scholastic Aptitude Test for math and their parents indicated that stereotyped behaviors of parents may impair subsequent achievement by gifted females in…

Meta-analysis of 225 hypothesis tests of measures of memory for order (MFO) and the relationship of MFO and measures of general ability demonstrate a significant relationship between MFO and standardized test scores. Fifty-one independent samples were tested. MFO task quality was a significant predictor of effect size. (SLD)

The relative strengths and predictive relationships among three cognitive measures (ACT subscores, preprofessional grade point average, and Allied Health Professions Admission Test subscores) and first-year academic success in allied health curricula were examined. Methodology is described and findings presented. Preprofessional grades generally…