Why has large-scale standardised testing attracted such a bad press? Why has pedagogic benefit to be derived from test results been downplayed? The paper investigates this question by first surveying the pros and cons of testing in the literature, and goes on to examine educators' responses to standardised, large-scale tests in a sample of low…

The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS/S) was the nationally standardized, norm-referenced test selected for the Idaho Statewide Testing Program for 1976-77. It provided basic skills measures in reading, language, mathematics, total battery, reference skills, science and social studies. Students in the 4th, 8th and 11th grades from 51 of…

Sixty fourth, fifth, and sixth grade African American students (37 males and 23 females) at a public school in northeast Mississippi were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking--Figural Form A (TTCT). Subjects were from 9 to 13 years old. The TTCT consists of 3 subtests: (1) picture construction (1 stimulus); (2) picture completion…

This report is a first look at the results of the 1994 NAEP geography assessment. It presents national findings of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students' overall performance on the NAEP geography scale, and summary data for the major demographic subpopulations in the United States. Results are reported on a 500-point NAEP scale, used to show…

A STUDY INVESTIGATED THE RELATION BETWEEN PERFORMANCE ON LEARNING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING TASKS AND LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE. PERFORMANCE WAS MEASURED ACROSS A SERIES OF 10 LEARNING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING TASKS PRESENTED TO SUBJECTS IN A SERIES OF SIX FILMS SHOWN IN A CLASSROOM. THE SUBJECTS WERE 275 JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND 109 FOURTH GRADERS…

Information is provided for educators and the general public about the performance of students on the standardized tests administered in 1990 as part of the South Carolina Norm-Referenced Testing (SCNRT) Program. The first section of this report provides background information necessary for interpretation of the results. The second section reports…

This report contains preliminary results from the 1992 mathematics assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) of nationally representative samples of about 26,000 4th, 8th and 12th grade students in 1,500 public schools and private schools in 44 states; and compares data to findings from the 1990 NAEP mathematics tests.…

This newsletter introduces the 1994 NAEP U.S. history assessment, which tested a representative sample of 22,000 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students across the United States. This issue presents a context for understanding the U.S. history assessment. The newsletter is divided into the following sections: (1) "The NAEP U.S. History…

This report is a first look at the results of the 1994 NAEP U.S. History Assessment. It presents national findings of 4th-, 8th-, and 12-grade students' overall performance and summary data for the major demographic subpopulations in the United States. Results are reported on a 500-point scale, used to show comparisons and trends over time, and…

In the spring of 1988, Massachusetts conducted its second Educational Assessment Program to assess the performance of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students' responses to open-ended questions in one form of the reading test were studied. One-twelfth of the fourth-graders, one-sixteenth of the…

This report presents a summary of information about the use in Massachusetts of open-ended questions in the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program's biennial assessment of mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 12. These questions appeared in one form of the tests in each grade. One-twelfth of the fourth-graders, one-sixteenth of the…

In the spring of 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Education administered its second biennial assessment (the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program), testing students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This report discusses the use of open-ended questions in one form of the science tests.…

In the spring of 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Education administered its second biennial assessment (the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program) of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. This report discusses the use of open-ended questions in the tests of social studies. One-twelfth of…