Among the five roles--leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher, and, program administrator--identified for the school librarian in "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" (AASL, 2009), the role of teacher is critical for improving student achievement. The school librarian is uniquely positioned in…

A method for obtaining criterion-references information from standardized tests is proposed. (TA)

"Classroom Assessment in Action" clarifies the multi-faceted roles of measurement and assessment and their applications in a classroom setting. Comprehensive in scope, Shermis and Di Vesta explain basic measurement concepts and show students how to interpret the results of standardized tests. From these basic concepts, the authors then…

Standardized tests are devised to sort students out, comparing them on a scale from high to low, not to discover what students know. Thus, results of standardized tests are misleading in representing the achievements of educational programs and in comparing one school or school system with another. Criterion tests, however, measure directly and…

Urges educators in reading to get on with the task of improving assessment programs and evaluation procedures. (RB)

Advantages of three methods for evaluating kindergarten children (standardized tests, early identification procedures, and criterion-referenced tests) are explained. (GW)

Discusses the use of standardized test results as a guide to developing curriculum content and uses data gathered at Hellgate Elementary School, Montana, as an example. (JC)

On April 5, 2002, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state into compliance with the provisions of the following federal laws: Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1994, P.L. 103-382 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)…

Discusses the use of standardized test results as a guide to developing curriculum content. Discusses such a plan being used (and offers data gathered) at Hellgate Elementary School, Montana, as an example. (JC)

The Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools continually evaluate the process of teaching for learning in order to provide quality programming for its diverse student body. Different methods of student outcome assessment are used to identify areas for study and analysis. This report provides information about the achievement of district students on: (1)…

This paper delineates several problems which arise when criterion-referenced test results are used to evaluate the effects of a specific educational treatment. Focus is on these topics: (1) the aggregation of individual students' data on objectives, (2) the sensitivity of the instrument to instruction, (3) the interpretation of…

The papers in this volume deal with a range of assessment problems in reading. The first paper, by Karlin, introduces the general problem of using assessment procedures to guide teaching. The next six papers deal with various aspects of this general problem. Otto discusses the distinction between norm-referenced, standardized achievement tests and…

Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced test results are frequently manipulated by public school administrators to show artificial achievement gains, rather than actual achievement gains. This paper suggests remedies for the various testing practices that contribute to artificial achievement gains, including improvements in the areas of: test…

The purposes of the assessment project were to determine when the fourth grade math skills were acquired by the majority of students in the Salem, Oregon public schools, and to compare accomplishment on the criterion-referenced test with accomplishment on a standardized test. Because the project required testing grades 3-6, multiple matrix…

A brief examination of norms, local and general, with emphasis on the former. The difficulties of using aptitude in counseling are discussed. Some data from the Differential Aptitude Tests is provided. (DLG)