In September 1984, the Chinese government asked the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank to assist the officials of the Chinese Ministry of Education in thinking through some policy options for examinations and standardized testing. This document summarizes the descriptions of testing programs and advice provided to these Chinese…

After a brief review of recent research concerning teacher testing, this paper presents concrete examples of multiple-choice test items that assess more than teachers' minimal, basic knowledge. Specifically, multiple-choice test items used for the assessment of pedagogical content knowledge (C-P items) are contrasted with items used for the…

A basic technical framework is provided for the design and use of mastery tests. The Mastery Testing Project (MTP) prepared this framework using advanced mathematics supplemented with computer simulation based on real test data collected by the South Carolina Statewide Testing Program. The MTP focused on basic technical issues encountered in using…

The reliability and validity of the Myself as a Teacher Scale (MTS), developed to assess the self-concept of teachers, were studied. Materials developed by David P. Butts and Robert Howe were used to construct a 62-item Likert-type scale asking individuals to rate themselves on certain criteria. After a pilot study with 92 preservice teachers and…

In fall 1986, a study was conducted at Florence-Darlington Technical College (South Carolina) to measure the reliability and validity of the TEC-MAT, a newly developed entrance test. The TEC-MAT instrument, a criterion-referenced test consisting of 100 items assessing numerical skills, was field tested among a group of entry-level freshmen already…

It has been recommended that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) specify comprehensive exercise domains to measure academic achievement, and provide a national item pool to measure the objectives in these domains. These domain specifications and item pools would serve to satisfy the increasing demand for valid, accurate, and…

Teacher-made mastery tests were administered in a classroom-sized sample to study their decision consistency. Decision-consistency of criterion-referenced tests is usually defined in terms of the proportion of examinees who are classified in the same way after two test administrations. Single-administration estimates of decision consistency were…

The writing learning objectives for fifth graders contained in this volume are congruent with the Texas "State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum." These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for use by teachers and other educators responsible for student instruction and for test development specialists involved…

The language arts objective-item bank contains 100 objectives each represented by five to eight multiple choice items. Grade levels covered are one through eight. The objectives deal with such topics as composition, grammar, literature, phonetic analysis, reading comprehension, structural analysis, study and research skills, vocabulary, and…

An activity was undertaken to develop written criterion-referenced tests for the agricultural resources component of Applied Principles of Agribusiness and Natural Resources. Intended for tenth grade students who have completed Fundamentals of Agribusiness and Natural Resources Occupations, applied principles were designed to consist of three…

In anticipation of the base-year survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), a field test of the questionnaire and test items was conducted in 1987. NELS:88 is a national, longitudinal study designed to provide trend data about the critical transitions of young people as they develop, attend school, and enter the work…

This module, one in a series of performance-based teacher education learning packages, focuses on a specific skill that vocational educators need to create appropriate learning environments and to plan and manage instruction that is well-suited to the learning and psychological needs of today's adults. The purpose of the module is to teach…

This paper describes two case studies of testing programs at local levels. The work was conducted as part of the Assessment Development and Use component of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's (NWREL) Assessment and Development project. Two school districts were recruited to participate in this effort--McMinnville, Oregon, and Kyrene,…

A handbook for University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) teaching assistants is provided compiled from materials developed at UCLA and other college teaching programs. Separate sections cover: teaching roles, meeting the first class, leading sections, teaching one's own course, motivating students, teaching tips, preparing examinations,…

A project was conducted to develop an assessment instrument for use in identifying welfare recipients who are potentially employable and to evaluate the effectiveness of Florida's three existing pilot employment assistance planning programs (termed PAPAs after the Public Assistance Productivity Act). Data on the employment status of 98 individuals…