This book presents a compilation of 28 issues of the newsletter, "How To Evaluate Education Programs" from the first one published in September 1977 through the issue of December 1979 on the topic of evaluating educational programs. The subject is covered in the following chapters: (1) How to Choose a Test; (2) How to Rate and Compare…

Focusing on the use of "paper and pencil" criterion-referenced tests in educational measurement, and to correct misconceptions, the definitions of basic terms and historical antecedents are discussed. Classifications of the tests are compared with other achievement tests. The phases in developing criterion-referenced tests are presented with the…

Three kinds of classificatory decisions that might be made using criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) are described, and methods to appraise the validity of each are subsequently discussed. Decisions that entail predictive, descriptive, and evaluative classifications comprised the three kinds of decisions described. Predictive classifications entail…

Essential for an effective criterion-referenced testing program is a set of test items that are "valid" indicators of the objectives they have been designed to measure. Unfortunately, the complex matter of assessing item validity has received only limited attention from educational measurement specialists. One promising approach to the item…

As change occurs in various health sciences programs, evaluational strategies should be developed so that adaptive decisions may be made. Evaluation models taking into account inputs, methodology, and outputs (Stake, 1967, and Astin and Panes, 1971) need examination. Alternative measurement instruments for formative and summative evaluations,…

The present study chose as its focus one of the primary reasons of why aptitude-treatment interactions (ATI) are difficult to find: methodological problems in the measurement of aptitude itself. The aptitude selected for this study is sensory modality preferences. Three types of modality data were gathered: norm-referenced (Illinois Test of…

A collection is presented containing four papers dealing with the subject of criterion-referenced testing. This first paper deals with criterion-referenced tests utilizing norm-referenced test items. Aspects covered include a defense of norm-referenced and criterion referenced tests and a justification for the adaptation of norm-referenced test…

Fifty-three high school males took a minicourse on library usage. All were randomly assigned a topic and given response sheets requiring the use of dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodicals, and books. In a discussion session, all received instructional handouts. Students were assigned either to evaluating two peers' pretests (experimental) or…

Criterion-referenced measurement (CRM) has received increasing attention in regular education. However, it is in education for handicapped children that CRM's flexibility for individualization of both instruction and evaluation become even more fully realized. Research is described on one of the first CRM systems (Individual Achievement Monitoring…

New strategies for evaluation criterion referenced measures (CRM) are discussed. These strategies examine the following issues: (1) the use of normed referenced measures (NRM) as CRM and then estimating the reliability and validity of such measures in terms of variance from an arbitrarily specified criterion score, (2) estimation of the…

Describes the development, objectives, content, and evaluation of a unique, 60-minute, synchronized slide/tape program on prehospital burn care for emergency medical technicians; and presents a design for valid content-reference formative evaluation. (Author/VT)

The problems in educational diagnosis of the exceptional student, particularly the use of norm referenced testing, are pointed out; and an alternative approach, criterion referenced assessment, is suggested. (SBH)

Presents a historical overview of the introduction of the major reading comprehension assessments, showing that the predominant approaches were shaped by the prevailing educational measurement milieu and were implemented largely in response to public pressure. Argues in favor of a naturalistic reading comprehension assessment for evaluating those…

Achieving a fair and objective evaluation of teacher performance is not easy. Student test results have been used to assess teacher performance, but this approach has many weaknesses, especially because students differ from school to school and standardized tests are open to questions about their fairness. Criterion-referenced tests have been…

Describes an assessment instrument for evaluating basic reading skills, the Minimal Reading Proficiency Assessment. (TO)