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In recent years, computer-based testing (CBT) has grown in popularity, is increasingly being implemented across the United States, and will likely become the primary mode for delivering tests in the future. Although CBT offers many advantages over traditional paper-and-pencil testing, assessment experts, researchers, practitioners, and users have expressed concern about the comparability of scores between the two test administration modes. To help provide an answer to this issue, a meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the administration mode effects of CBTs and paper-and-pencil tests on K-12 student reading assessments. Findings indicate that the administration mode had no statistically significant effect on K-12 student reading achievement scores. Four moderator variables—study design, sample size, computer delivery algorithm, and computer practice—made statistically significant contributions to predicting effect size. Three moderator variables—grade level, type of test, and computer delivery method—did not affect the differences in reading scores between test modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this commentary, we summarize some of the main themes of the NRC report and note ways in which the papers by Mislevy and Haertel, Gorin, and Abedi and Gándara address the Panel's recommendations. We then briefly review and offer reflections on each paper. We see much to applaud here and also in the broader effort to build bridges between the cognitive and measurement sciences. However, much work remains, not only in building bridges, be also in educating the next generation of psychometricians about cognition and the next generation of teachers about psychometrics. Until that day, even the best work here will have little impact on the business of large-scale assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the review of Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). It mentions that the purpose of MLAT is to evaluate the ability of an individual, particularly American people, to learn a foreign language. It states that MLAT belong to the aptitude tests printed by Language Learning and Testing Foundation Inc. in Maryland. It also states that MLAT is consists of five components including number learning, phonetic script and spelling clues.

Results of variations on a categorical standard-setting procedure for use with performance assessments with multiple performance standards are reported. Panelists were asked to make independent ordinal categorical assignments of student work. Student work came from the administration of 1 of the 1996 Grade 8 National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Booklets. This study focused on the comparability of cutscores using 2 data analysis strategies, the effects of 2 strategies for making the categorical classifications (sorting vs. direct classification), the efficacy of long and short versions of the classification scale, and the effects of discussion on the basic, proficient, and advanced cutscores. The results indicate that there were minimal differences in cutscores across the 2 data analysis strategies. The direct classification approach was more feasible than the sorting approach, at least with the design as it was implemented in this study. The short version of the classification scale yielded comparable results to the longer version and took less time (about 20%) for the panelists to complete. Discussion produced the expected effect of more agreement among panelists. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the findings of a research on high school activities that prepared students to write in college in the U.S. Criteria in evaluating writing ability of the students; Types of writing assignments; Views of the students on the significance of writing evaluations for college preparation.

This paper proposes a low-complexity pseudo-inverse Legendre neural network (PILNNR) with radial basis function (RBF) units in the hidden layer for accurate wind power prediction on a short-term basis varying from 10- to 60-min interval. The random input weights between the expanded input layer using Legendre polynomials and the RBF units in the hidden layer are optimized with a metaheuristic firefly (FF) algorithm for error minimization and improvement of the learning speed. For comparison, two other forecasting models, namely pseudo-inverse RBF (PIRBFNN-FF) neural network and PILNNR [with tanh functions in the hidden layer (PILNNT-FF)] with input-to-hidden layer weights being optimized by FF algorithm, are also presented in this paper. Also the weights between the hidden layer and the output neuron of these neural models are obtained by Moore–Penrose pseudo-inverse algorithm. Further to improve the stability of the weight learning procedure, the L2-norm-regularized least squares (ridge regression) technique is used. A superior predictive ability test is performed on the three proposed wind power forecasting models using bootstrapping procedure in order to identify the best model. Several case studies using wind power data of the wind farms in the states of Wyoming and California in USA and Sotavento wind farm in Spain are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of a free-time contingency on the grammar skills of nine mildly handicapped adolescent male students were investigated. A multiple baseline design across subject pairs was used to evaluate the contingent free-time procedures. Data were collected on students’ correct use of capitalization and punctuation. Subjective ratings as to the students1 writing skills were gathered before and after the intervention. Pre- and posttest data were also taken from the Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Skills. The results during baseline indicated low skills in the writing areas measured. The use of the tree-time contingency was correlated with improved grammar skills by all students. Subjective ratings made by three qualified judges scored student papers from the contingent free-time phase as being better than those from baseline in terms of grammar and composition. Pretest and posttest data from the Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Skills revealed little change in skill performance. Problems and benefits of the procedures are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the goals and the ramifications of the Standards for the Assessment of Reading and Writing developed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA).

Some 25 U.S. states have implemented or plan to implement a policy requiring that students pass a basic-skills test to graduate from high school. These tests, designed for native English speakers, have doubtful validity and reliability when administered to the English language learner (ELL) population, which is growing every year. Additionally, requiring students to pass an examination in English for high school graduation has two major consequences. To the individual, failure of the test could result in denial of gainful employment. To the larger society, an incidental English-only policy is implemented. This paper reviews some of the validity issues associated with high school exit exams used with ELL students and some of the solutions proposed by researchers and educators. This paper highlights how high-stakes testing has been implemented in four southwestern states with large ELL populations: Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the regulations of the State Competency Testing for Teacher Certification in the U.S. The most active in promoting both written and performance-based certification tests for beginning teachers is the southern states. Arkansas, particularly, passed a legislation that requires on-the-job teachers in the state to take a competency tests but was condemned by the National Education Association. Also, the Educational Testing Service did not allow Arkansas to use the National Teacher Examination because certification for teacher is no longer life-long in some states.

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In 1993, the Tennessee General Assembly voted funds to establish a model unit of integrated services and research to address the full scope of issues associated with dyslexia. Dyslexia is characterized as significant difficulty in reading and spelling individual words. In the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia, these problems are presumed to be the consequence of a phonological core deficit. When compared to typical readers, matched for age or reading level, dyslexic readers evidence average listening comprehension, a relative strength in reading comprehension, deficits in word recognition and spelling, and severe deficits in word analysis as well as in awareness and manipulation of phonemes. Integration of this information yields a diagnostic profile that may be applied in the differential diagnosis of dyslexia both in clinical and school settings. This paper presents an overview of the Tennessee Center for Dyslexia and the services it provides as well as its guidelines for interpreting the results of norm-referenced tests and criterion-referenced measures to diagnose dyslexia and plan appropriate intervention.. Frith's (1985, 1986) developmental framework for reading acquisition is integrated with the assessment data to outline an instructional plan that addresses mastery of skills within and across the hierarchical phases—logographic, alphabetic, and orthographic—of reading development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an empirical comparative study of a Great Britain-based assessment centre and an American assessment centre. The article notes that assessment centres have not enjoyed the success in Great Britain that they have in the US. The article asks if paper and pencil tests can indicate management potential better than other assessment centre activities; if assessment centres can contribute to the judgments of management potential in other ways; and how this research can improve assessment centre effectiveness. The study found that psychometric tests do lend value to management assessment, but are less influential than simulation exercises. The study found that UK centres performed as well as American centres, which should lend credibility in the UK market.

This paper compares subpopulations using aptitude scores obtained from a test battery administered to the 1980 high school seniors in the base year survey. The procedures and methods used to select the sample were designed to yield a data base that can be statistically projected to represent the national population of approximately 3,040,000 1980 high school seniors. Subpopulation comparisons were performed to reveal the differences in aptitude scores by age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and census region. The mean scores of males and females were comparable, although males scored, on the average, somewhat higher than females on the mathematics component. Asians/Pacific Islanders scored higher than other racial/ethnic groups on all subtests except Vocabulary and Reading, where whites scored somewhat higher. The mean scores of whites were higher than those of either blacks or Hispanics on all measures used. There were notable differences in the mean test scores of various Hispanic subgroups, with the mean scores of Cubans exceeding Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, or other Hispanics by a considerable margin. A positive correlation was encountered between test scores and the socioeconomic status or level of education attained by the examinee's mother. Geographically, students in New England had the highest average scores, followed, in order, by those in the Middle Atlantic, West North Central, East North Central, Pacific, Mountain, South Atlantic, East South Central, and West South Central regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the issue of excellence and equity in competency testing in the U.S. There is sufficient evidence that shows a disproportionate numbers of minority education students that are being screened out from the teaching profession in states where competency testing is occurring. The certification of teachers through competency testing has forced educators and the public to challenge the premise underlying the philosophy of education in a democratic society. Excellence has been reduced to a quality measurable by scores on standardized examinations and excellence in teaching has been operationally defined through getting a high score on a pencil-paper test.

Following the lead of legislative bodies and school boards nationwide, the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) recently recommended that ‘all applicants for a teaching, administrative, and school personnel certificate issued by the State Teacher Certification Board satisfactorily pass (1) a proficiency examination on basic communication and mathematics skills and (2) a proficiency examination in the major field of the desired teaching or administrative assignment, where appropriate’ (Illinois Association of School Boards, 1980, pp. 15–16). A companion resolution called for a major study of the competence of Illinois school personnel and the eventual adoption of procedures to guarantee their professional competence. Illinois, then, is one of a number of states currently facing the issue of teacher testing. As of this writing, at least 18 states now require teacher testing for certification (Vlaanderen, 1982) and the trend seems clear. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is also weighing in on this issue. In a draft policy statement presented to AACTE at the annual meeting in Houston in 1982, an AACTE Task Force argued that ‘competency assessment is a vital and essential part of any effort to strengthen teacher education programs’ (AACTE, 1982, p. 2). This paper investigates aspects of the teacher testing issue in an effort to assist teacher educators in clarifying their thinking on this significant question. Our analysis addresses two central aspects of the teacher testing movement. The first deals with the assumptions that appear to form the basis of the prescription that teachers ought to be tested. The second examines the various domains in which testing might take place. Several recommendations are then advanced which seem justified given this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the effects of competency-based training on the performance of prospective teachers in the U.S. The paper was designed to help prospective teachers perform pre-tutorial teacher behavior. The treatment uses microplanning employing procedures in the same manner with microteaching which divides tutorial teacher behavior into component parts, each of which is defined and modeled. As objectively defined, Microplanning is designed to enable prospective teachers to perform pre-tutorial teacher behavior,which not only precedes tutorial behavior in time but also relates and explains it.

In this article, the author focuses on whether the information collected by the U.S. regulators related to banks should be made public. It mentions about CAMELS scores through which regulators examine the soundness of banks. It further discusses merits and demerits of disclosure of information related to banks, the ability to extract information from banks and effects of disclosure during bad times.

This paper provides a concise chronology of musical aptitude testing in the United States during the 1900s, discussing significant individuals such as Carl Seashore and Edwin Gordon who have made major contributions to the endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper explores the development of a rigorous computational model of driver behavior in a cognitive architecture--a computational framework with underlying psychological theories that incorporate basic properties and limitations of the human system.Background: Computational modeling has emerged as a powerful tool for studying the complex task of driving, allowing researchers to simulate driver behavior and explore the parameters and constraints of this behavior.Method: An integrated driver model developed in the ACT-R (Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational) cognitive architecture is described that focuses on the component processes of control, monitoring, and decision making in a multilane highway environment.Results: This model accounts for the steering profiles, lateral position profiles, and gaze distributions of human drivers during lane keeping, curve negotiation, and lane changing.Conclusion: The model demonstrates how cognitive architectures facilitate understanding of driver behavior in the context of general human abilities and constraints and how the driving domain benefits cognitive architectures by pushing model development toward more complex, realistic tasks.Application: The model can also serve as a core computational engine for practical applications that predict and recognize driver behavior and distraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the science achievement outcomes for different subgroups of ninth-grade students in the United States using different assessment formats in the United States. Student sample considered; Description of assessments given; Correlation of assessment results with ethnicity, sex and achievement.

Content-general reading tests that present passages from a variety of subject areas are frequently used as part of a college's placement system. This paper discusses validity issues associated with three popular content-general reading tests and then presents a theoretical argument to support an alternative placement procedure using content-specific testing. It is proposed that content-specific tests would have improved content-related and construct-related validity. More research is needed to provide evidence of criterion-related validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the skills defined by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) for college students in the United States. Details on the skills needed by workers; How to integrate SCANS activities in the subject curriculum; How to evaluate SCANS activities.

The article focuses on the reliability of the use of Lawson's test of formal reasoning in the Israeli educational context so as to determine students' achievement. Investigations show the performance of Israeli students in science and mathematics and their comparison of skills in the U.S. population. A better performance of boys compared to girls and a high achievement of Israeli than the U.S. population on the Piagetian skills are revealed in the test. On the contrary, it has been observed that the study shows an inconsistent findings of the gender difference of the students using Lawson test. It is then being suggested that a further study should be made before this will be used to determine students performance and development.

The purpose of the paper is to provide support for the notion that having teachers making predictions about reading achievement gains has positive educational benefits. A comparison of the mean gain scores over a six year period for elementary school children in a remedial reading program indicated that greater gains were made in the years teachers made predictions. The results suggest that when teachers make predictions they carefully assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each child. This assessment, combined with the selection of an appropriate instructional strategy, results in educational benefits for the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This paper reports the results of an investigation into the relationships between certain CPA examination candidates' attributes and these subjects' performance for 280 first-time candidates writing the November 1977 and May 1978 examinations in Texas. Findings indicate that scholastic aptitude test scores, accounting GPA, accounting hours completed, school attended, hours of self-study, and completion of a CPA review course have consistently significant associations with examination performance. Attributes lacking significant associations with examination performance include candidates' work experience, age, and completion of an audit course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the number of states using some form of competency testing prior to the certification of teachers is substantiated by Flippo in this article. The author includes an update on teacher certification testing activities across the United States as well as a discussion of some of the issues and concerns associated with testing programs. While certification testing appears to offer a solution to certain problems related to quality control and teacher selection, it also creates new issues that should be addressed by states that are considering the development and implementation of competency testing for certification. Flippo discusses some of those issues and makes specific recommendations for policymakers and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the logic, law and the implications of testing for teacher competence in the U.S. Through competency testing, teachers are measured on their knowledge of the subject matter, general and professional knowledge. Teachers who passed the test are believed to be effective teachers than those who did not. Also, students of licensed teachers will learn more and perform better than the students of the teachers who did not pass the test. However, according to a study, it has no convincing evidence that there is a relationship between the score of the teacher on test and the increased learning by students.

The article provides information on teacher competency testing and its possible impact on educators in the U.S. Teacher competency test is designed to measure the minimum knowledge and skills needed for adequate performance in the classroom. It is implemented and administered by various state departments of education for teachers' certification purposes. Competency tests vary widely from state to state because some states have different content knowledge tests for each of the fields in which they certify teachers. The most common procedure used by the test developers in determining test content is to ask the state department for whom the test is being developed. There are negative concerns in the test development. However, there have been claims announced by states implementing teacher certification testing programs that the quality of their newly certified teachers has improved.

The purpose of this paper was to determine what educationally relevant differences exist, if any, between two groups of black collegians those who enter traditionally Negro colleges and those who enter integrated ones. On the basis of data from the College Student Questionnaires (Part 1) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (Verbal), black students entering integrated institutions were found to have higher SAT-V scores, to be more independent, liberal, concerned with social injustice, and to aspire to more years of formal education. Many of the differences between the two groups, however, were found to be highly correlated with SAT scores. Thus it would appear that to the extent integrated institutions are attracting the higher ability (as measured by the SAT) Negro students, they are also attracting those with a quite different set of attitudes, background characteristics, and orientations toward college. In view of recent efforts on the part of integrated institutions to attract Negro students, such facts are important to recognize and consider, for the practice of focusing on students with higher SAT scores is also bringing about a redistribution of behavior styles and personality characteristics that contributes critically to campus environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the significant research developments carried out in the U.S. Air Force in the area of psychomotor testing. It states that the study indicates that the particular combinations of aptitudes that contributes to performance on the tasks investigated may change as practice continues and proficiency increases. It tells that the psychomotor tests that most frequently used were Complex Coordination Test, Rotary Pursuit Test and Rudder Control Test. It says that the major ability that contributes to early performance is the spatial relations but the reaction time and speed of arm movement had assume increasing importance. Moreover, the psychomotor tests are valid for pilot selection and the study in psychomotor testing has brought basic understanding of human skills.

The paper focuses on the article "Talent Tests As a National Standard." The article summarized the importance of the Project TALENT battery in establishing national norms and, because of the longitudinal aspects of Project TALENT, the potential predictive validity studies which are built into this investigation. It was also pointed out that, if this project is to achieve its potential impact on guidance and counseling, it must show that other test batteries, which are commercially available contain information similar to that found in the TALENT battery. In the previous article the authors illustrated techniques for comparing two test batteries using the Differential Aptitude Tests and the TALENT battery. Two other widely used test batteries were recently reviewed in this section. These additional batteries are the General Aptitude Test Battery and the Flanagan Aptitude Classification Tests. It is important to realize that two test batteries can contain very similar information even though pairs of scales may not be particularly highly correlated. This is because what one scale is measuring in one test may be measured by a combination of scales on another test.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) for use in Greater China. Chinese children numbering 255 between the ages of 4 and 6 from Hong Kong and 544 from Taiwan were tested individually on the standardized test contained within the M-ABC. Data from these 799 children were compared to that presented in the test manual for the 493 children of the same age comprising the United States standardization sample. Both within-culture and cross-cultural differences were statistically significant when all items of the M-ABC were examined simultaneously, but effect sizes were too low to be considered meaningful. However, descriptive analysis of the cut-off scores used for impairment detection on the test suggested that adjustments to some items would be desirable for these particular Chinese populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the popularity of the state-wide and regional testing programs in the U.S. There are many functions and advantages of these programs. They bring the cost of an adequate testing program within the reach of every school, promote wholesome comparisons, assist in guidance and personnel programs, and improve the articulation between various levels of the educational system. The purpose of the present paper is to familiarize teachers and school administrators at all levels in the educational system with the extent to which they are used in the present time. Many colleges and universities are sponsoring these state-wide programs as they assist them in the improvement of articulation between the secondary schools and colleges. The findings show that 58 per cent of the states have had some kind of a testing program, but only 40 per cent have such programs operating. Thirteen of the nineteen states with testing programs use them wholly or in part for improving the articulation between high school and college, while others administer tests either in the schools which are not accredited, or for elementary and eighth grade programs. In ten instances, departments in colleges and universities are said to assist in this testing and evaluation.

The article focuses on the significance of selecting qualified students in teacher education programs in the U.S. The author asserts the fact that the quality of the nation's teachers is dependent upon successfully attracting and selecting competitive students in teacher education. Owing to this scenario, strict evaluation were imposed in several schools. Some institutions have also imposed competency-based selection and retention standards. Several citations from various references were presented by the author in support of his contentions on the matter at hand.

This study investigated the underlying structure of a set of eight cognitive tests from the two most recent language aptitude test batteries: the LLAMA (Meara, 2005) and the Hi-LAB (Linck et al., 2013) to see whether they had any underlying constructs in common. The study also examined whether any of the observed constructs could predict L2 speaking proficiency in terms of complexity, accuracy, or fluency. Participants were 135 college-level students learning Spanish as an L2 in the United States. Results showed that the LLAMA and the Hi-LAB include tests that tap the same constructs. Specifically, the tests from the two batteries loaded onto three different factors, interpreted as "Explicit Aptitude," "Implicit Memory Ability," and "Implicit Learning Ability." The results further showed that Implicit Memory Ability was a significant predictor of L2 speed fluency and interacted with Implicit Learning Ability as a predictor of lexical complexity. This finding suggested that L2 learners with greater Implicit Memory Ability may be better at accessing and retrieving previously learned or known information effortlessly. In the case of lexical complexity, the effect of Implicit Memory Ability depended on the level of Implicit Learning Ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author examines how during World War II the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) made use of an attitude survey that brought about what was essentially a process of organizational change. The author discusses how the survey yielded results that showed one third of the enlisted men in the AAF felt they were assigned to the wrong jobs. As a result a reform process what begun with the aim of getting the right men into the right positions. The author discusses the success of the program, noting that in a short period of time individuals who scored high on intelligence tests were moved into positions where they could better serve the AAF.

There is a sizable literature on higher education, both in the United States and beyond, that draws attention to the phenomenon known as grade inflation. We offer an interpretation of grade inflation that turns on the choices students have over academic departments, and we argue that patterns in grades cannot be considered in isolation from the incentives that students have to sort themselves strategically across departments. Our argument draws on a game-theoretic model in which students of varying abilities face a choice between enrolling in a department whose grades are inflated and thus ability-concealing versus enrolling in a department whose grades are ability-revealing. In equilibrium, all grades are high. Nonetheless, what appears to be grade inflation is a result of the fact that the ability-revealing department in our model attracts highly talented students seeking to distinguish themselves from students of lesser ability, who avoid said department because enrolling in it is costly. Our formalization shows how student sorting can confound grades, and it implies that a full understanding of university’s grade distribution requires knowing which departments in the university are ability-concealing and which, in contrast, are ability-revealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign language educators have developed measures to assess the proficiency of U.S. high school learners. Most have compared language learners to clearly defined criteria for proficiency in the language (criterion-referenced assessment) or to the performance of other monolingual English speakers (norm-referenced assessment). In this study, the performance of monolingual English students enrolled in first- (n = 293), second- (n = 268), and third-year (n = 51) high school Spanish courses on the Batería III Woodcock-Muñoz Pruebas de aprovechamiento was compared to that of native Spanish speakers, which was normed with native Spanish speakers. Findings showed that after two years of high school Spanish, U.S. students' achievement in Spanish word decoding and spelling was similar to that of native Spanish speakers in the fifth to sixth grades, and their performance in Spanish reading comprehension, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and writing was below that of the average native Spanish speaker in first grade. Third-year students' achievement was somewhat stronger, although more similar to than different from that of the second-year students despite the added instructional time. The results are discussed in light of the U.S. social context in which monolingual English students learn to speak and comprehend a language at the same time as they are learning to read and write the language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the effectiveness of computer-assisted tools in rating surgical skills of resident doctors in the U.S. The study was administered by creating the Universal Rating and Assessment Tool for Examiners (URATE) which provides interaction between the tool and the participants, and displays the recorded actions which are analyzed using a questionnaire. It reveals that URATE offers satisfying results since it requires less time and wide scope of subject.

The article discusses the construction and properties of common cognitive score measures and their implications for economic research. It suggests that applied economists have frequently misused measures of student ability in formulating analysis for potential wage gaps between white workers and African-American workers or achievement gaps between white students and African-American students. It cites the impact of the Commom Core standards in the development of new assessments.