In their constant groping toward achievement standards, the high schools of this country have developed what is known as "cooperative testing." This development is not recent. Cooperative testing dates back further than the standardized testing movement itself. For instance, it has been customary for about 50 years in New York and in…

State higher education coordination bodies, it is suggested, should recognize experiential learning either through their policies or their programs. The way in which New York has encouraged experiential learning through three programs and through their activities as a nationally recognized accrediting body is discussed. (Author/MLW)

Presents a historical look at the debate over President Clinton's proposal to develop voluntary national tests for the nation's public school students, describing education standards over the past 15 years and examining the current controversy over national testing. The paper recommends that parents familiarize themselves with national testing…

The President's proposal for national testing of public school students may be a bad idea that leaves locals and parents out of important decisions. The paper notes that most standardized tests have serious limitations and recommends compromising by balancing parental rights, state control, and independent authority of teachers to create schools…

Argues that standardized testing undermines creativity and individuality. Contends that standardized testing has more to do with control of education than excellence, and discusses the impact of the National Assessment of Educational Progress on educational control. Maintains that flexible, alternative testing can evaluate student performance…

Limitations in standardized test use with Hispanic students are summarized and recent research developments supporting use of testing and assessment as tools for promoting learning are examined. Assisted performance and dynamic assessment are discussed in the context of individual education plans and a test-train-test cycle. (Author/MSE)

Discusses a study of the effectiveness of employing multiple measures and sources of data to place students in appropriate mathematics courses. Considers the use of achievement test scores, high school mathematics grades, clinical evaluation techniques, and content-oriented examinations in assessment. (DMM)

Describes a national study of the current availability and use of commercially and institutionally developed educational assessment instruments. Indicates that two-year institutions reported less activity than four-year institutions in assessing the major fields of study but that 77% of all two-year institutions assessed basic skills. (MAB)

Reports on an analysis of national assessment data on the academic achievement of 6,423 English and Welsh second-grade students. Uses multilevel modeling to explore the relationship between academic attainment and background variables. Finds a relationship between test scores and nursery school education. (CFR)

This study of 12 children (ages 7-13) with mild to moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss found that psychoeducational diagnostic tests standardized on students with normal hearing may be used with confidence to assess both cognitive and academic levels of functioning in students with sensorineural hearing loss. (Author/JDD)

In the past decade, testing of young children has been excessive and inappropriate. Leftover IQ tests have been used to track children into ineffective programs or to deny them school entry. Prereading tests held over from the 1930s have encouraged the teaching of decontextualized skills. Assessment advocates must clearly demonstrate testing's…

Examines factors contributing to increasing acceptance of and dependence on state and local educational testing. Factors examined include the accountability movement, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, National Assessment of Educational Progress, growth in statewide and local assessment, and minimum competency testing. (SM)

Three approaches to setting the evaluation standards for testing pharmacy practice knowledge of pharmaceutical students are discussed and compared: relative standards; absolute standards; and a compromise approach using various sources of evaluation information. The application of the different approaches to a 120-item assessment previously…

Responds to Goodlad's article on teacher education's journey over the past century and its current malaise, suggesting that the rest of the journey is up to teacher education faculty, their university colleagues, and partners within communities and schools who must work to improve education. Describes Massachusetts' experience in attempting to…

The National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind is the first and longest running registry and knowledge base of children who are deaf-blind in the world. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (Baldwin, 1993), it represents a thirty plus year collaborative effort between the National Consortium on…