Outlines some practical procedures for assessing test quality. Tests are relevant when learning outcomes have been correctly defined, when test content is aligned with instructional objectives, and when test and instructional formats are similar. Reliable tests follow administration, scoring, and interpretation procedures and consider difficulty…

One major reason for the problems of test validation is an overemphasis on the need for empirical validity data, and a failure to recognize the primary importance of explicit verbal definitions of what the test is intended to measure and rational arguments in support of the means chosen for obtaining the measurement. (Author/LC)

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)

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…

Offers personal reflections on the testing of writing, concluding that teachers make wide and effective use of a variety of test types. (FL)

Counterbalancing the simplification of education caused by testing means relying on classroom teachers' conceptual powers. Classroom teaching is labor intensive and varies from room to room because diversity is the norm. Specifying standard academic skills and curriculum has not upgraded education. Children need opportunities to confront…

An attempt was made to determine whether student honesty is affected by a take-home test, referred to as an unstructured evaluation. A group of 27 students in a history class at a university was given a teacher-made take-home test as a mid-term examination. A second group of 27 students was given the same examination in class. Unknown to the…

Provides a sampling of recent program development ideas that show the varied nature of test wiseness instruction. Warns that teachers are unsophisticated test writers. (ARH)

Successful reform of science education requires careful orchestration of a number of factors including technological developments, organizational issues, teacher preparation and enhancement, and advances in the scientific disciplines themselves. Exemplary innovations in exam practices that assess scientific understanding in new and more…

Reviews the literature concerning informal reading inventories and discusses a number of issues related to them, including question choice, scoring criteria, and allowable miscues. Offers guidelines for constructing and using the inventories. (FL)

A practical approach is outlined for adapting teacher-made tests to meet the needs of mildly handicapped mainstreamed students. The approach calls for modifying test construction, test administration, and test sites, and teaching test-taking strategies. A table lists test-taking problems (poor comprehension, poor auditory or visual perception,…

Seventeen behaviorally disordered adolescents received training in specific test-taking skills relevant to content area and teacher-made tests. The experimental subjects scored significantly and substantially higher on a posttest of test-taking skills than did untrained matched controls. Deficits on test-taking skills may contribute to observed…

Reports the results of a study of the match between teacher-made tests and level of instructional objectives for 74 secondary social studies teachers. Concludes that: (1) only a slight majority of teachers think higher order objectives are important, and (2) that few translate this opinion into their instruction or testing. (JDH)

This article discusses the validity issue in teacher-made tests. Seventh-grade students' comments about their responses to a test designed to illustrate faulty items suggests students are quite proficient in using secondary clues to figure out correct answers. Teacher comments suggest teachers are unaware they provide such clues. (Author/JAZ)

Computer activities can help children learn fundamental principles and collect information for use in problem solving. Because standardized tests do not accurately measure students' problem-solving skills and teacher-made tests are often unreliable, educators should peruse the "Mental Measurements Yearbook" series for more appropriate…