[AAACE-NLA] "Evaluating" High-stakes Testing in the US

[Thomas Sticht]

Colleagues:

For those interested in better understanding assessment and measurement
concepts such as standardized tests, criterion-referenced tests, and
norm-referenced tests, competency-based tests, etc. within the context of
adult basic education or English as a Second Language education I have
prepared a report entitled:

Testing and Accountability in Adult Literacy Education:  Focus on
Workplace Literacy Resources for Program Design, Assessment, Testing, &
Evaluation  (1999)  [ Thomas G. Sticht ]

The report goes well beyond workplace literacy and is relevant to
assessment in any adult basic skills education.

Chapter 4 of the report is entitled: Testing and Accountability in Adult
Literacy Programs in the Workforce Education Act of 1998 and it discusses
standardized tests, norm-reverenced tests, criterion-referenced tests,
competency-based measurement, using norm-referenced tests as
criterion-referenced tests, use of grade levels in adult literacy
assessment, problems of "negative gain" and what to do about it, issues of
"general" versus "specific" literacy, item response theory and what it
means for assessment, reliability and validity, and other concepts and
issues in testing and assessment in adult literacy programs.

It can be downloaded for free by cutting and pasting the following lengthy
internet address into your browser’s location finder:

http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/search/search_results.asp?oid=1&bDate=2002&search_type=2&PageNo=12&search_string=S&language_type=1&pagesize=10&last=&First=&language_select=&numcount=1&lid=&subject=&bool1=&bool2=&search_select=&search_select2=&general_keyword=&general_keyword2=&keywords=&logic=&year_start=&year_end=&edate=&all=&cko=&publisher=&dateless=

Tom Sticht