Argues that teaching must become a profession--entailing both expertise and relative autonomy--if public schools are to improve. Outlines elements of professionalism and proposes means to professionalize teaching. (MCG)

Examines the legitimacy of concern with the disproportionate distribution of false negatives and positives in job screening through imperfectly predictive tests. Argues that false negatives should pose problems for meritocrats concerned with individual over group rights, and that result-oriented quotas must be differentiated from screening with…

Emerging areas and critical problems related to computer-based testing are identified. Topics covered include adaptive testing; calibration; item selection; multidimensional items; uses of information processing theory; relation to cognitive psychology; and tests of short-term and spatial memory, perceptual speed and accuracy, and movement…

Performance testing is discussed as a method for teacher evaluation. Although new to teaching, performance assessment has a long history in assessment of other occupations, and much can be learned from this experience. Performance assessments, measuring knowledge and abilities in use, can help sharpen the definition of teacher competence. (SLD)

This report describes how available measures/tests of employability skills were identified and analyzed to determine their suitability for evaluating the employability skills of students enrolled in Iowa vocational programs. Conclusions of this research are as follows: suitable measures are available for assessing the employability skills of…

This consumer guide presents updated information on many of the systems and software programs that are currently available to and used by vocational evaluators. Software included in the book was selected through contacting all known developers for information and product samples for review. The guide is organized in four sections. The first…

This paper addresses the cross-cultural development and use of the Behavior Description Index (BDI). The development of culturally-transportable scales; cross-cultural comparisons of results for 12 Spanish, 15 Hungarian, 15 Indonesian, and U.S. managers; and the transportability of competencies as constructs are considered. A competency is an…

The 174 tests in this bibliography measure communication skills for a number of populations, including students and teachers, adults in business, family relationships (including both parent-child and spousal/marital relationships) and special populations entering social or work environments. Areas tested include expressive and receptive abilities,…

This guide explains the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and how it can help students prepare for a career. The ASVAB, sponsored by the Department of Defense, is a vocational aptitude battery consisting of 10 short tests that cover academic and occupational areas. The results of the 10 tests are combined to make composite scores.…

Findings of the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy concerning problems in testing are reported. Recommendations are proposed for restructuring educational and employment testing to help people develop their talents and become more productive, and to help institutions become more productive, accountable, and just. Over a 3-year…

This document collects five presentations in the field of vocational counseling and guidance. Its aim is to share research reports with vocational counselors, enhancing the level of this service in Canada. In the first paper, Benjamin Gottlieb discusses social networks and the gestalt of help-seeking, pointing out that persons are attached to…

This study examined the contribution of five categories of variables to the standard-setting recommendations of a representative sample of 241 judges recommending standards for the General Knowledge and Communication Skills Tests of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) for the state of North Carolina. It was based on the assumption that…

Employment tests predict job performance because they measure or are correlated with a large set of malleable developed abilities, which are causally related to productivity. Our economy currently under-rewards the achievements that are measured by these tests. Consequently, economic incentives to study hard in high school are minimal, and this…

Meta-analytic research techniques were used to compare the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validities of blacks and non-minorities. The sample consisted of 7,854 black and 15,769 non-minority subjects from 113 Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) validation studies analyzed since 1972. The first approach was to compare average validities…

The Florida Teacher Certification Examination was developed as a comprehensive written examination for use in initial teacher certification in the state. Applicants must demonstrate mastery of 23 generic minimum competencies in teaching adopted in Florida statutes and State Board of Education rules. Subtests in General Education cover writing,…