This statement presents the position of and addresses the needs of the professional members of the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) divisions and regions. The seven sections discuss: (1) the development of the statement; (2) guidelines for avoiding charges of irresponsible practice; (3) qualifications of test users (those who…

For the most part, standardized tests are verbal and presuppose that the test takers know the language, culture, and values of the test makers, who usually represent white, middle class language and values. The communication problems that minority groups face when taking standardized tests include phonological biases (especially when the tests are…

The basic concepts, practices, and considerations in assessment are outlined in order to provide the reader with a beginning knowledge of assessment techniques and procedures. Discussion includes the goals of assessment, types of tests, criteria for instrument selection, test construction, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis of…

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…

This paper concerns the projected changes suggested for testing in the future by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). A Commission on Tests is held desirable, the general purpose of which is to describe a comprehensive series of testing activities supporting the large-scale distribution of students among college level institutions in the…

An objective-based classification of needs-assessment areas for elementary education and a critical test evaluation procedure for application to measurement devices in these need areas were developed. Criteria for the evaluation are measurement validity, examinee appropriateness, administrative usability, and normed technical excellence. The…

Intended for individuals working with the handicapped, the guide provides information about physical fitness tests, perceptual-motor scales, and developmental profiles. Covered in an introductory section are the rationale and relevance of testing, basic concepts about tests, interpretation of test results, adapted physical education programs, and…

Measurement is presented here as a means of enabling health and physical education programs to assume their place as indispensible phases of the educational process. Measurement is considered vital to health and physical education programs; teachers in these fields are admonished to turn to measurement activities as readily and as naturally as…

This article addresses criterion-referenced vs. norm-referenced tests. Its purpose is to help the reader become acquainted with the uses, accountability, advantages, and statistical differences between these two types of tests. (Author)

The data suggest that the WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full scales are almost equally lacking in racial bias and that all three scales are less biased than the PPVT. If the PPVT is used for initial screening, it will be important to follow up with a more thorough psychological evaluation. (Author)

Recognizing adults' prior college-level learning requires a substantial investment of faculty time to identify learning outcomes and standards of performance, but the benefits are great for students and faculty alike. (Author)

Notes some of the conflicts between the use of hands-on science curricula and standardized testing. Discusses the state of testing and the state of science education with regard to the tests. Describes some promising developments in assessment in science education. (TW)

Thirty-eight methods are presented for either setting standards or adjusting them based on an analysis of classification error rates. A trilevel classification scheme is used to categorize the methods, and 10 criteria of technical adequacy and practicability are proposed to evaluate them. (Author/LMO)

An annotated bibliography of 22 tests designed for core French, French immersion, and native French speaking students includes information on intended test population, levels, test types, test construction, use history and statistics, and source. An index and directory of distributors are included. (MSE)

Teacher-selected test level resulted in: (1) most Educable Mentally Retarded students tested responding above chance levels on all subtests of the Metropolitan Achievement Test, (2) reliability coefficients comparable to those of the standardization sample, and (3) moderate to high positive point-biserial correlations for all subtest-level…