In an attempt to raise district scores, the Washington, D.C., public schools are now beginning a program to train students to take standardized tests. (IRT)

In an investigation of the predictors of success on the dental National Board Examinations Part II, three studies were undertaken to test (1) the factual validity of a mock examination, (2) the usefulness of the mock examination as a predictor of board examination success, and (3) whether the third cross-validated the previous findings. (MSE)

Principals should urge teachers to teach students the five basic principles of test taking. This can improve student scores on standardized tests. (MD)

This research examines whether instruction in test wiseness would result in higher test scores, using both standardized and specially constructed tests as criterion measures. (Author/RK)

A statistical comparison of scores on the previous and redesigned Medical College Admission Tests showed that neither was a powerful predictor of scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners Part III examination, a measure of clinical competence at the first-year resident level. Other subtest results were also found. (MSE)

Research indicates that when taking a standardized test that is not timed, students who have been coached to revise answers profit more from their changes than do those who receive no instruction at all. Some study skill books written for high school and college students give misleading advice not to change answers while some newer editions are…

External assessments for accountability may be taking precedence over other educational assessment purposes and are beginning to direct teaching and learning in schools. Four common concerns include teaching to the tests, narrowing instructional focus and allowing tests to determine curricula, deemphasizing higher order thinking skills, and…

The Research and Evaluation Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District presents a bulletin to help prepare students to do their best on achievement tests. The bulletin is divided into five sections. After an introduction, section 2, "Characteristics of Today's Standardized Achievement Tests" discusses test content, test format,…

The article discusses whether the cognitive potential of members of one cultural milieu can be assessed accurately by the tests of another culture. (KM)

To examine the effect of motivational manipulated conditions on students' mathematics scores, elementary students received either ordinary standardized test instructions or special instructions (do as well as possible for themselves, parents, and teachers). Those given special instructions scored significantly higher in the test, implying that…

This document consists of 14 articles which appeared in the electronic news bulletin, "EducationNews.org," and which were part of a series on "Test Bashing," a discussion of the use of standardized tests that focuses on controversies surrounding the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills and test score improvements in Texas. The…

Since the late 1960s, curriculum and instruction have increasingly become "test driven." Research documents the negative effects of standardized testing on instruction, students, and teachers. At their best, tests reflect students' ability to take tests. Research supports the need for change in testing policies. Massive testing must be eliminated,…

The Alaska Statewide Assessment Test (ASAT) in reading and math is administered to fourth and eighth graders every two years. This document contains three separate assessment reports generally titled "An Update on the Alaska Statewide Testing Program." Assessment Report 8, "The Interpretive Panels Look at Results," lists…

Despite educators' well-founded misgivings about standardized multiple-choice testing, this practice is firmly entrenched in American life. One of educators' major responsibilities is preparing students to make wise choices in school and the "real world." With college and career opportunities hinging on standardized test scores, schools are…

This book is meant to be a guide to standardized reading tests, to help teachers live with tests. Standardized, norm-referenced reading tests are a fact of life for most teachers. The suggestions in this book are drawn form the experience of teachers in the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College, Columbia University. Part…