One of the many criticisms leveled at standardized testing is that the time limits commonly used require a speed component of performance which may act to the disadvantaged of certain culturally defined groups. Recent studies by the authors examined the question of differential time limits and group performance for standardized academic aptitude…

Returns from the Survey of Testing questionnaire, which was mailed to each testing director in the Great Cities Program, are summarized. The Survey includes: 1) information concerning test standardization; 2) information concerning the use of test results; 3) all tests currently used in the Great City Schools. (MS)

Discusses the use of courseware designed to prepare high school students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Provides a review of six software packages specifically designed for this purpose. Discusses, as an alternative, a non-computer plan for SAT preparation. (TW)

This article compares measures of abstract thinking preference and divergent thinking to standard mathematics ability measures such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). In this study involving gifted tenth graders, mathematical creativity was found to be a special kind of creativity not necessarily related to divergent thinking ability. (PB)

Employing standardized achievement tests to ascertain educational quality is like measuring temperature with a tablespoon. Such tests are prone to testing-teaching mismatches, omitted items, and confounded causation problems. Actually, three factors influence students' scores: what's taught in school, native intellectual ability, and out-of-school…

A report on tests used by California undergraduate institutions and by graduate and professional schools is presented by the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Information is provided on five tests used by undergraduate colleges: the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the Scholastic…

The keylist format (rather than the conventional multiple-choice format) for item presentation provides a machine-scorable surrogate for a truly free-response test. In this format, the examinee is required to think of an answer, look it up in a long ordered list, and enter its number on an answer sheet. The introduction of keylist items into…

The testing of many American Indian children using standardized exams (achievement, aptitude, ability, and intelligence tests) developed for the majority American society represents a case of cross-cultural testing which is likely to produce invalid results in the form of underestimation of student performance. Requirements for obtaining accurate…

Eleven papers on language testing deal with various psycholinguistic aspects ranging from the particular application of language aptitude tests to statistical methods of measurement and evaluation. Several chapters treat the difficulties involved in testing spoken language aptitude and attainment. Contributors to this volume include K. Brown, A.…

Part one of the Northeast Conference Reports for 1975 deals with the background of the three major components discussed in the reports: curriculum, teaching styles and strategies, and evaluation techniques in foreign language instruction. In the section on curriculum, the role of foreign languages in the curriculum is examined. A historical…

Performance of limited-English speaking graduate school applicants on the Prueba de Admision para Estudios Graduados aptitude test is compared with Graduate Record Examination results, and the validity of the two tests as predictors of academic success for bilingual doctoral students in the New York University Puerto Rico program is examined. (MSE)

Since 1941, this book has been a standard textbook in educational measurement. As in the previous editions, the selection and treatment of topics were guided by the knowledge and skills that are necessary for the development of valid evaluation measures and the knowledge and competencies needed to interpret teacher-made and standardized tests.…

Public policy and measurement community issues related to the use of standardized achievement tests for students in kindergarten through grade 12 are discussed, focusing on students and parents as the end-users of test data. The viewpoints expressed are based on 18 years of experience with test score interpretation. It is suggested that technical…

When properly understood, scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) support the hypothesis that the performance of American students as measured by the SAT is steadily improving. As the overall pool of SAT takers increases and as pressures to adopt SAT scores as an administrative measure of instructional performance mount, SAT averages at the…

The use of national and campus tests/measures to assess student academic achievement is discussed, along with measurement of student attitudes and behavior, with attention to specific tests and testing programs. It is important for faculty to develop goals for student achievement and to determine whether a test fits a given college program or…