While federal law requires students to be tested in math, English-language arts and science in particular grades, states are still struggling to mount the resources and expertise necessary to fully implement college and career readiness standards, let alone new assessments aligned to these higher standards. New assessments are not only more…

Many schools are moving to develop benchmark tests to monitor their students' progress toward state standards throughout the academic year. Benchmark tests can provide the ongoing information that schools need to guide instructional programs and to address student learning problems. The authors discuss six criteria that educators can use to…

The article outlines the physiological and measurement bases for the development of physical fitness tests, raising questions concerning physiological, psychological, and evaluation issues. (Author/CB)

Describes the 1997 revision of the Dutch Rating System for Test Quality used by a committee of the Dutch Association of Psychologists. The rating system evaluates test quality on seven criteria using a checklist for each criterion. Comment sections provide additional information, and weighting rules establish the final grades. (SLD)

The early Intervention Subcommittee of the London (Ontario) kindergarten through grade six Curriculum Committee was asked to develop recommendations for the early identification and remediation of children likely to experience difficulties in the acquisition of reading skills. The subcommittee decided to try what appeared to be some of the best…

This booklet describes an alternative approach to testing the mathematical abilities of elementary school students. The booklet is highly critical of the use of standardized tests for many purposes, and both the introduction and an appendix are devoted to those criticisms. This project for Tests of Reasonable Quantitative Understanding of the…

Reports on recent changes in examination policy and practice in China, England and Wales, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Identifies and discusses some significant trade-offs arising from the implementation of examination policy. Discusses four nearly universal dilemmas of…

Argues that tests should be used to improve instructional programs. Specific suggestions include the study of reports on test performance, item analysis on classroom tests, item analysis as a part of standardized test reports, use of diagnostic or inventory tests, and careful selection of test items. (PK)

The purpose of this part of the multimethod Head Start bilingual/bicultural curriculum evaluation (Juarez and Associates 1978), is to familiarize curriculum model developers with test and item analysis procedures used to select and recommend tests for evaluating curriculum models. Considerations and procedures (such as screening, and comparing and…