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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]

Literature in the United States provides many examples of no difference in student achievement when measured against the mode of test administration i.e., paper–pencil and online versions of the test. However, most of these researches centre on ‘regular’ students who do not require differential teaching methods or different evaluation processes and techniques. This research provides evidence that students who have learning disabilities, like their counterparts in the regular educational programme, do not lag behind in computer adaptation and use. The study, using differential item functioning analysis with an ‘external’ variable and an analysis of covariance, shows that items and tests can be created to have no practical differences in the mode of administration for this special group of students, and as such, is in keeping with the trend for using online testing with its many advantages (cost savings, flexibility in administration, etc.) in lieu of the paper and pencil version of the test. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

Disputes some facets in the series of papers by Scott G. Paris and colleagues on high-stakes, standardized achievement testing in the United States. Role, necessity and advantages of achievement tests; Fundamental criteria of test validity.

Discusses the initiative that assesses the standards, assessment methods and learning outcomes of first-year English composition courses in public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Maryland. Role in the development of the state's outcomes-based composition standards; Adoption of the C-grade standard. INSETS: STANDARDS FOR A "C" PAPER;AAC&U Joins New Alliance;AAC&U CALENDARS.

The article presents abstracts of medical education, which include the use of games as teaching tools in surgical residency, computer-based testing of the modified essay question and the joint U.S.-German collaboration project in medical education.

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]

Highlights the results of a cross-state scoring workshop in the U.S. during the summer of 1991, which used writing products from three separate grade levels. Participating states' provision of a sample set of student writing produced in response to a single prompt or writing assignment; Correlations of the scores assigned by readers from one state with those assigned by readers from another state.

Background: The U.S. Boards of Nursing (BONs) collect annual report data from their nursing programs as part of their approval process. This paper highlights the 2020 and 2021 annual report data on the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on all nursing programs in 17 BONs in 2020 and 19 in 2021. Method: Nursing programs answered 16 questions on the effect of COVID-19 on their programs. Because BONs require annual report data, all programs in the participating states answered the questions, which included 798 programs in 2020 and 929 in 2021. Results: Major disruptions in nursing education occurred during the pandemic. Clinical experiences and didactic classes were greatly affected, though alternative strategies were used. Student and faculty attrition rates were particularly high in 2021. Conclusion: The authors call for a national forum where nurse leaders analyze what happened and make recommendations for future crisis events. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(5):312–319.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nine years of student evaluation of teaching (SET) data from a large US research university, we examine whether changes to the SET instrument have a substantial impact on overall instructor scores. Our study exploits four distinct natural experiments that arose when the SET instrument was changed. To maximise power, we compare the same course/instructor before and after each of the four changes occurred. We find that switching from inclass, paper course evaluations to online evaluations generates an average change of -0.14 points on a five-point scale, or 0.25 standard deviations (SDs) in the overall instructor ratings. Changing labelling of the scale and the wording of the overall instructor question generates another decrease in the average rating: -0.15 of a point (0.27 SDs). In contrast, extending the evaluation period to include the final examination and offering an incentive (early grade release) for completing the evaluations do not have a statistically significant effect on the overall instructor rating. The cumulative impact of these individual changes is -0.29 points (0.52 SDs). This large decrease shows that SET scores are not comparable over time when instruments change. Therefore, administrators should measure and account for such changes when using historical benchmarks for evaluative purposes (e.g. appointments and compensation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts-based training programs can aid in building observational skills, communication, team building, and leadership through targeted analysis of works of art. Furthermore, arts-based training programs are unique in that they highlight non-technical skills (NTS). The goal of this study was to investigate the extent to which NTS were developed through an arts-based training program among entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) students. This study used a mixed methodological approach to analyze retrospective data. Quantitative analysis of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) assessment was conducted. Qualitative analysis was completed through analysis of the participants’ reflection papers. Quantitative results (n = 69) from the KIMS show significance (p = 0.011; 0.013), and qualitative analysis (n = 32) resulted in five central themes: evolution of thinking, holistic approach, diverse perspective, lived reality of context, and development of NTS (collaboration, self-awareness, mindful of others, creativity, and effective communication). Quantitative and qualitative findings suggest arts-based training programs can improve students’ ability to reduce their bias through implementation of a mindfulness lens. Results and recommendations from this study can be used as an example for occupational therapy academic programs to implement an evidence-based teaching methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the awards to be presented by the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) on their annual meeting in the U.S. in 2008. Inlcuded are NCME Award for Career Contributions to Educational Measurement, Jason Millman Promising Measurement Scholar Award Description and Application Procedure and Bradley Hanson Award for Contributions to Educational Measurement. Key information about the description of the award, nomination and application procedure is further presented. A website and email address were also provided for additional information.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of an online program evaluation survey conducted in the USA in 2018 which was designed to understand how members of an enhanced multidisciplinary team (E-MDT) use the expertise of a forensic accountant (FA) in suspected cases of elder financial exploitation. Design/methodology/approach: This paper analyzes responses to an online survey from 54 E-MDT members. Narrative responses to open-ended questions were analyzed by using cross-case thematic analysis. Data from demographic questions and those with nominal response options were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: Overwhelmingly, the E-MDT members described how useful the FA's expertise and subsequent detailed reports are in helping determine whether financial exploitation is taking place and providing information needed to continue an investigation and pursue criminal charges. Practical implications: The increasing longevity and sheer number of older adults present ongoing challenges in the fight to address financial exploitation. Findings suggest that FAs working with E-MDTs can help identify signs, collect evidence and help investigate cases of suspected financial abuse of older adults. The development of training programs focused on educating accountants to fill a need in a growing area of forensic accounting may be needed. Originality/value: This paper adds to the growing evidence of multidisciplinary teams as an effective model for investigating cases of financial elder exploitation by focusing specifically on the expertise of an FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews published research pertaining to the use of pass/fail grading in allopathic and allied healthcare medical schools. The benefits and comparisons of pass/fail grading over letter grade systems has been widely studied, given that over 50% of all allopathic medical schools in the U.S. use pass/fail to assess their preclinical students. Despite concerns that use of pass/fail grading may decrease performance in licensing exams, a number of articles indicate that such grading has little or no impact on the performance of students on the United States Medical Licensing Exam. The data also show that using pass/fail grading has many significant advantages for medical students, including decreased stress, improved wellbeing, improved group cohesion and decreased competition, a focus on mastery and deep learning, and more student satisfaction regarding their medical education. Based on this evidence, the author suggests further investigations regarding incorporation of pass/fail grading for both master's and doctoral traditional eastern medical programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses papers in the current issue devoted to educational assessment in the U.S., including a paper on standardised test scores, a report on a research project which interviewed doctoral research candidates who had completed or were close to completion of their theses, and a paper on the supervision of doctoral candidates in the discipline of journalism.

The author provides an American perspective on the five original papers published in the June 2009 issue of the journal. Discussing attitudes towards national educational testing in the U.S., he notes that in the U.S. education is legally in the hands of the states, but sees consensus building towards some kind of testing with stakes for individuals as well as political entities. He states the importance of designing a test around its stated purpose and sees problems in multi-purpose tests.

Current Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education guidelines highlight the necessity for institutional assessment to be clear and transparent. Whilst institutions spend much energy on making sure that criteria on which they assess work are published and clear, much of the feedback to students on different courses is discursive in nature and consists of both formative and summative assessment. Students also receive information about grades and criteria from a variety of institutional documents. This paper uses a concordance of feedback sheets to investigate the way that tutors use institutional discourse in written feedback sheets on a part-time MA(Ed) and the functions performed by the written feedback. The paper finds a high degree of congruence between the institutional and tutor corpora. Both corpora place considerable emphasis on academic conventions, yet this is not reflected in the criteria used for assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 1997 statewide survey of Michigan teachers, administrators, and parents about assessment practices revealed that all 3 groups held similar views about what constitutes appropriate assessment in the early years, and they put little faith in test scores. This study reports on follow-up interviews aimed at determining the types, frequency, and utility of assessment techniques used by classroom teachers. Specifically, this study focused on the types of assessment techniques used by a sample of elementary teachers, including how often they use paper-and-pencil tests, how often they write observation notes and what they do with the notes, whether they use children's portfolios as assessment, and whether their teaching is influenced by mandated tests. Study findings revealed that paper and pencil tests were regularly used by teachers in grades 3 and 4 (92%), and rarely or occasionally used by the teachers below that level (16% rarely and 20% occasionally). Seventy-three percent of the early level teachers and 76% of the teachers in grade 3 and 4 used observation for summative rather than formative analysis. Teachers in both groups used checklists frequently, primarily for summative purposes. Portfolios, like other assessment tools, are used primarily for summative rather than formative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the labor market returns to higher-education quality for low-skilled students. Using a regression discontinuity design, we compare students who marginally pass and marginally fail the French high school exit exam on the first attempt. Threshold crossing leads to an improvement in quality but has no effect on quantity of higher education pursued. Specifically, students who marginally pass are more likely to enroll in STEM majors and postsecondary institutions with better peers. Marginally passing also increases earnings by 12.5% at the ages of 27-29. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test accommodations are changes to test administration, responses, or the test itself that are offered to emergent bilingual students for standardized tests and also for classroom assessments in some states in the USA. Currently there is a lack of research examining the use of test accommodations as a pedagogical practice. This paper presents a study of the classroom use of accommodations using data from a comparative ethnographic case study of two different multilingual schools. A historical analysis and definitions of test accommodation effectiveness frame the analysis. Participant observation, field notes, interviews, and classroom artifacts are used to investigate how administrators, teachers, and students appropriate test accommodations as classroom practices and one class in particular serves as an entry point for unpacking classroom use of accommodations. The analysis positions test accommodations as a tool promoting increased access to assessments but cautions that this access may not be an equitable practice, especially when accommodation use conflates emergent bilingual students with students who have disabilities. The paper concludes by exploring the possible implications of using classroom practices to inform policies and the use of test accommodations for emergent bilinguals to explore more options for multilingual education and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework to provide a structured approach for developing score reports for cognitive diagnostic assessments (CDAs) . Guidelines for reporting and presenting diagnostic scores are based on a review of current educational test score reporting practices and literature from the area of information design. A sample diagnostic report is presented to illustrate application of the reporting framework in the context of one CDA procedure called the Attribute Hierarchy Method. Integration and application of interdisciplinary techniques from education, information design, and technology are required for effective score reporting. While the AHM is used in this paper, this framework is applicable to any attribute-based diagnostic testing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Growth Model Pilot Program (GMPP) was introduced as a response to criticism of the reliance of No Child Left Behind on status-based indicators. Although incorporating a growth component appears to be a step in the right direction, it adds a level of complexity that brings to the fore new concerns. Three of the four papers in this special issue address different manifestations of a common problem: how choices related to implementation of the GMPP, made on technical or practical grounds, can have substantial consequences for schools and teachers. The fourth paper explicates a different approach to growth modeling. Together these papers add considerably to our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of growth-based indicators. In this discussion, I attempt to set these papers in a larger context before providing brief reviews. I conclude by arguing that the nation will be better served if policy makers appreciated the consequences of choices before they crafted legislation and the accompanying regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity in assessment concerns all educational authorities and practitioners. While educators commonly consider issues of equity in terms of accommodations for students with special needs, or addressing cultural difference, equity issues in educational assessment have emerged outside these bases. This paper examines equity assessment issues, drawing predominantly on case history from the United States of America (US) with examples from Australia and England, to demonstrate areas that may draw legal consideration. The discussion shows that the legal standard to establish inequity is high and sometimes illogical from an educational perspective. The paper is intended to assist understanding of legal implications of educational assessment in order to reduce the likelihood of legal claims and the resultant redirection of valuable resources from educational provision. The discussion is also intended to broaden thinking on matters that impact on the provision of equitable educational and assessment opportunities for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to broadly describe and provide insight into the national dialogue in the USA concerning accountability for educational results in academic institutions. Design/methodology/approach - The approach takes the form of a thorough survey of the key questions, current issues, and organizational players in this national dialogue. Findings - Policy makers and educators should use the present opportunity to work together, focusing not on narrow one-size-fits-all measures but on the improvement of a new generation of complementary approaches. Originality/value - The paper presents a clear articulation and discussion of the key questions that are driving the national dialogue on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines assessment methods used in undergraduate economics courses in the U.S. In 1995, 2000, and 2005 questionnaires were sent to over 3,000 individuals with undergraduate teaching responsibilities. Data were compiled for each of four different types of economics courses: introductory, intermediate, statistics/econometrics, and other. The authors present charts showing ten separate means of student evaluation, along with the percentage of instructors using them according to year and class type. Multiple-choice questions were very popular with instructors of introductory courses, whereas homeworks and problem sets were the most commonly used method in statistics/econometrics courses..

When the raters of constructed-response items, such as writing samples, disagree on the level of proficiency exhibited in an item, testing agencies must resolve the score discrepancy before computing an operational score for release to the public. Several forms of score resolution are used throughout the assessment industry. In this study, we selected 4 of the more common forms of score resolution that were reported in a national survey of testing agencies and investigated the effect that each form of resolution has on the interrater reliability associated with the resulting operational scores. It is shown that some forms of resolution can be associated with higher reliability than other forms and that some forms may be associated with artificially inflated interrater reliability. Moreover, it is shown that the choice of resolution method may affect the percentage of papers that are defined as passing in a high-stakes assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University ranking or higher education assessment in general has been attracting more and more public attention over the years. However, the subjectivity-based evaluation index and indicator selections and weights that are widely adopted in most existing ranking systems have been called into question. In other words, the objectivity and impartiality of those rankings has been worrisome. To address these concerns, this paper presents a quantitative and model-driven approach to acquiring the evaluation index and indicator weights in theUS News & World Reportranking system. Structural equation modelling will be applied to mine non-subjective weights from collected data. The proposed approach will be validated using two groups of United States universities, National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges, classified by theUS News & World Report. Managerial and administrative implications will also be explored. This study shows a very promising future because it opens a new venue for the scholars and practitioners in the higher education assessment field to develop a real-time, scalable and model-driven higher education ranking system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the role of adaptation in expectation formation processes by analyzing how educational tracking in high schools affects adolescents' educational expectations. I argue that adolescents view track placement as a signal about their academic abilities and respond to it in terms of modifying their educational expectations. Applying a difference-in-differences approach to the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, I find that being placed in an advanced or honors class in high school positively affects adolescents' expectations, particularly if placement is consistent across subjects and if placement contradicts tracking experiences in middle school. My findings support the hypothesis that adolescents adapt their educational expectations to ability signals sent by schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents perspectives and controversies surrounding the use of milestones to assess competency in outcomes-based medical education. Global perspectives (Canada, Europe, and the United States) and developments supporting their rationales are discussed. In Canada, there is a significant movement away from conceptualizing competency based on time, and a move toward demonstration of specific competencies. The success of this movement may require complex (rather than reductionist) milestones that reflect students' progression through complexity and context and a method to narrate their journey. European countries (United Kingdom, France, and Germany) have stressed the complexity associated with time and milestones for medical students to truly achieve competence. To meet the changing demands of medicine, they view time as actually providing students with knowledge and exposure to achieve various milestones. In the United States, milestones are based on sampling throughout professional development to initiate lifelong learning. However, the use of milestones may not imply overall competence (reductionism). Milestones must be developed alongside outcomes-based curriculum with use of faculty and competency committees. The perspectives outlined in this paper underscore emerging challenges for implementing outcomes-based medical education and call for new conceptualizations of competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is “teaching to the test,” and can one detect evidence of this practice in state test scores? This paper unpacks this concept and empirically investigates one variant of it by analyzing test item–level data from three states’ mathematics and reading tests. We show that NCLB-era state tests predictably emphasized some state standards while consistently excluding others; a small number of standards typically accounted for a substantial fraction of test points. We find that students performed better on items testing frequently assessed standards—those that composed a larger fraction of the state test in prior years—which suggests that teachers targeted their instruction towards these predictably tested skills. We conclude by describing general principles that should guide high-stakes test construction if a policy goal is to ensure that test score gains accurately represent gains in student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since school voucher funds are public, policymakers fiercely debate how those funds should be spent. A goal of many decision-makers is to ensure that every private school option is “high-quality” through program accountability regulations. Private schools, however, decide whether to participate in a private school choice program and likely factor the amount of state regulations into that decision. This paper estimates the program participation decisions of the private schools in D.C., Indiana, and Louisiana. We specifically examine the impacts of voucher regulations on the supply-side of voucher programs. We employ a linear probability model to examine how school quality, as measured by revenue, tuition, enrollment, and Great School Review scores, is associated with program participation for schools. Results indicate that higher tuition-levels and larger cohort enrollments, conditions normally associated with high quality schools, identify schools that are less likely to participate in voucher programs. We also find a consistent negative relationship between Great Schools Review score and the school participation decision in all three locations; however, these coefficients are not statistically significant. State fixed effects reveal that private schools in D.C. and Louisiana, the two states that have higher regulatory burdens, are less likely to participate in voucher programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind (1987) and Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa's Academically Adrift (2011) stand as bookends. Between them rests a generation of college graduates. Together, they chronicle the crisis in higher education. This paper argues: (1) Adrift's employment of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) may serve in part to corroborate Bloom's contention that popularized moral and cultural relativism have devitalized the love of learning. Students stripped in such fashion might be expected to show little increase in the general collegiate skills that the CLA measures and on which basis Adrift critiques higher education. (2) Adrift may be taken to support Bloom's case that the higher-education reform that matters most is restoring a required core curriculum consisting of common courses in the sciences and liberal arts. The paper concludes with some reflections on the limits and possibilities of the reforms pointed to by the two books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis of acting White has been heatedly debated and influential over the last 20 years or so in explaining the Black-White test score gap. Recently, economists have joined the debate and started providing new theoretical and empirical analyses of the phenomenon. This paper critically reviews the arguments that have been advanced to support and refute the hypothesis. This review particularly covers the analyses in economics because the economic analyses are relatively new and usually neglected in other disciplines. Also, nationally representative data are emphasized, whenever possible, to improve the generalizability of the arguments. This review concludes that although the analyses in both non-economics and economics are thought-provoking and compelling in some respect, a substantial body of empirical evidence is inconsistent with the assumptions of and results from the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CBAL (Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning) is a research initiative intended to create a model for an innovative K-12 assessment system that documents what students have achieved (of learning); helps identify how to plan instruction (for learning); and is considered by students and teachers to be a worthwhile educational experience in and of itself (as learning). Because CBAL intends to not only measure student achievement but also facilitate it, CBAL, like any similar assessment program, requires a theory of action. This paper describes the notion of theory of action, offers a preliminary version of such a theory for CBAL, and outlines a provisional research program for evaluating that theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date there has been very little work on the machine understanding of imprecise diagrams, such as diagrams drawn by students in response to assessment questions. Imprecise diagrams exhibit faults such as missing, extraneous and incorrectly formed elements. The semantics of imprecise diagrams are difficult to determine. While there have been successful attempts at assessing text (essays) automatically, little success with diagrams has been reported. In this paper, we explain an approach to the automatic interpretation of graph-based diagrams based on a five-stage framework. The paper describes our approach to automatically grading graph-based diagrams and reports on some experiments into the automatic grading of student diagrams. The diagrams were produced under examination conditions and the output of the automatic marker was compared with the original human marks across a large number of diagrams. The experiments show good agreement between the performance of the automatic marker and the human markers. The paper also describes how the automatic marking algorithm has been incorporated into a variety of software teaching and learning tools. One tool supports the human grading of entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs). Another tool is for student use during the revision of ERDs. This tool automatically marks student answers in real-time and provides dynamically created feedback to help guide the student's progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the current interest in accountability for educational results within the context of US graduate education. Design/methodology/approach - The paper takes the form of a survey of significant aspects of assessment in graduate education: historical contexts, current challenges, and an envisioned future. Findings - A greater concern for and active inclusion of students' perspectives distinguishes discussions of educational results in graduate education from discussions of results in undergraduate education. Originality/value - The paper presents a clear distinction between graduate and undergraduate contexts for discussions of accountability and educational results [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2001 U.S. Supreme Court Case of Falvo v. Owasso School System (Owasso Independent School District No I-011 v. Falvo) has focused national attention on the common classroom practice of peer-grading. In a unanimous decision the court reaffirmed the popular view that students grading each others' tests is valuable, saving teachers' time and augmenting student learning. Our study puts these presumed benefits to the test in 4 middle school science classrooms. We compared teacher-assigned grades to those awarded either by students to themselves or by their peers. By training students to grade with the help of a scoring rubric, a very high correlation was obtained between students and their teacher on test questions (r = 0.91 to 0.94). We found patterns of bias when students assigned grades. When grading others, students awarded lower grades to the best performing students than their teacher did. When grading themselves, lower performing students tended to inflate their own low scores. Performance on an unannounced, 2nd administration of the same test 1 week later measured the degree to which student-grading resulted in any increased understanding. Students who graded their peers' tests did not gain significantly more than a control group of students who did not correct any papers but simply took the same test again. Those students who corrected their own tests improved dramatically. Self-grading and peer-grading appear to be reasonable aids to saving teachers' time. Self-grading appears to result in increased student learning; peer-grading does not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standards-based education has now reached a stage where it is possible to evaluate its overall effectiveness. Several earlier papers in the special issue of Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice on “Test Scores and State Accountability” (Volume 24, Number 4) examined specific state policies and their effects on schools and students. This paper provides a context for understanding state accountability policies by briefly sketching the history of America's standards movement. It then situates the findings of the four special issue papers in the context of theories of how state policies exert their influence, focusing on school capacity building, governmental authority, and educator motivation. Broader forms of assessment may be needed to meet the goals of the standards effort. Several kinds of evidence that could better ground state decisions in knowledge of the actual functioning of schools and districts are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of university applicants requesting special accommodations for university entrance exams. The Israeli National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE) administers a Psychometric Entrance Test (comparable to the Scholastic Assessment Test in the United States) to assist universities in Israel in selecting undergraduates. Because universities in Israel do not permit flagging of candidates receiving special testing accommodations, such scores are treated as identical to scores attained under regular testing conditions. The increase in the number of students receiving testing accommodations and the prohibition of flagging have brought into focus certain psychometric issues pertaining to the fairness of testing students with disabilities and the comparability of special and standard testing conditions. To address these issues, NITE has developed a computerized adaptive psychometric test for administration to examinees with disabilities. This article discusses the process of developing the computerized test and ensuring its comparability to the paper-and-pencil test. This article also presents data on the operational computerized test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texas evaluates, accredits, and financially rewards schools based on student test scores. Test scores increased dramatically following this implementation of high stakes testing. This paper examines whether homebuyers valued these test score increases. The results show little or no relation between changes in test scores and changes in total housing value in a district. Strikingly, improved performance on college entrance exams is associated with increased total housing value. Using the college entrance exams as a benchmark, the results on the state test suggest that high stakes testing failed to increase perceived school quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]