This paper demonstrates how an analysis of the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (1985) can define the body of knowledge needed by teachers for the effective use of tests in classroom instruction. Procedures are described for identifying standards relevant to teachers' roles and their behavior. (SLD)

One hundred seventh and tenth grade tests across several content areas were examined for the presence of six types of test-wiseness cues. Approximately 75 percent of teacher-made and publisher-provided tests contained one or more cued items. The most frequent type of cue was length of option, followed by specific determiners. (Author/JDD)

Teaching mathematics in today's world requires practices and procedures integrated with performance tasks that actively involve students. In this second edition of Designing Rubrics for Mathematics, Eileen Depka clarifies the purpose of rubrics in math instruction and illustrates the relationship between assessment, rubrics, and the National…

A study was conducted to determine to what extent college teacher-made multiple-choice tests contain test-wiseness clues that can be used to identify correct answers. A sample of 43 undergraduate teacher-made examinations was obtained from two colleges and three universities. The sample included midterm and final examinations and quizzes. The…

Describes 10 objective item types which can be used to develop tests for social studies. Teachers need to develop and use a variety of test designs. Three questions must be answered in developing tests: "What do students need to know?"; "How should they demonstrate knowledge?"; and "How can I create items to assess the students' progress on these…

Argues that process-oriented evaluation of children's literacy by the classroom teacher is more efficient and more instructionally valid than current test-driven evaluation procedures. (FL)

Introduces a technique for comprehension assessment that allows teachers who have had only a moderate amount of training to develop tests that are valid, reliable, and interpretable. Notes that the procedure can be based on any text without an extended tryout and revision process. (FL)

Explains how tables of specifications (used in estabishing content validity) and item analysis (a modificatin of item difficulty) can readily be used by the classroom teacher to design well-balanced tests. (HOD)

Classroom assessment is how teachers find out how well students are learning. It is important because teachers need a lot of information for the decisions they have to make. It can take many forms, such as paper and pencil assessments, performance assessments, conversations, or observations. Classroom assessments are built on clear goals and…

Elementary teachers often spend so much time on reading, writing, and mathematics that science gets short shrift. Since science instruction is weak, testing is disappointing. This article suggests ways to improve large-scale and teacher-controlled science assessments. A sidebar lists questions to ask about tests. Includes 12 references. (MLH)

When commercially available tests failed to match their whole-language instructional practices, resource teachers in a Canadian school district developed their own instrument. Assembled over a five-year period, the Multi-Layered Assessment Package (MAP) is a set of procedures accompanied by suggested books, transcripts, and retelling and recording…

Reviews methods for assessing critical thinking: multiaspect commercial tests, aspect-specific commercial tests, and teacher-designed tests. Suggests ways to modify commercial tests. (SK)

Reviews the status of classroom assessment, focusing on the review of four key research summaries that describe the dismal state of classroom assessment in the past century. Cites four important developments as reasons for optimism about the future of classroom assessment and details a five-part action plan for achieving the untapped potential of…

In this practical, easy-to-use guide, suggestions are made for setting educational objectives and preparing a teacher-made test. Specific suggestions are made for selecting items for essay tests, multiple choice tests, completion tests, matching tests, and true-false tests. (BW)

Achievement test reliability as a function of ability was determined for multiple sections of a large university French class (n=193). A 5-option multiple-choice examination was constructed, least attractive distractors were eliminated based on the instructor's judgment, and the resulting three forms of the examination (i.e. 3-, 4-, or 5-choice…