Valid Normative Information From Customized Achievement Tests

This paper discusses how to maintain the integrity of national normative information for achievement tests when the test that is administered has been customized to satisfy local needs and is not a test that has been nationally normed. Using an Item Response Theory perspective, alternative procedures for item selection and calibration are examined with respect to their effect on the accuracy of normative information. It is emphasized that it is important to match the content of the customized test with that of the normed test if accurate normative data are desired.     

Factors Which Influence Precision of School-Level IRT Ability Estimates

The precision of the group-level IRT model applied to school ability estimation is described, assuming use of Bayesian estimation with precision represented by the standard deviation of the posterior distribution. Similarities and differences between the school-level model and the familiar individual-level IRT model are considered. School size and between-school variability, two factors not relevant at the student level, are dominant determinants of school-level precision. Under the multiple-matrix sampling design required for the school-level IRT, the number of items associated with a scale does not influence the precision at the school level. Also, the effects of school ability and item quality on school-level precision are often relatively weak. It was found that the use of Bayesian estimation could result in a systematic distortion of the true ranking of schools based on ability because of an estimation bias which is a function of school size.     

The Quality of Content Analyses of State Student Achievement Tests and Content Standards

This article examines the reliability of content analyses of state student achievement tests and state content standards. We use data from two states in three grades in mathematics and English language arts and reading to explore differences by state, content area, grade level, and document type. Using a generalizability framework, we find that reliabilities for four coders are generally greater than .80. For the two problematic reliabilities, they are partly explained by an odd rater out. We conclude that the content analysis procedures, when used with at least five raters, provide reliable information to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners about the content of assessments and standards.     

周立波报告文学的思想性与艺术成就

周立波报告文学具有鲜明而强烈的爱国主义思想，很强的艺术实践意义和丰富的艺术表现方法，并带有鲜明的地域色彩，在现代报告文学发展史上具有独特的价值。     

Relations between Executive Function and Academic Achievement from Ages 5 to 17 in a Large, Representative National Sample

This study examined age-related changes in complex executive function (EF) in a large, representative sample (N = 2,036) aged 5 to 17 using the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997a). Relations between complex EF and academic achievement were examined on a sub-sample (N = 1,395) given the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised (Woodcock & Johnson, 1989). Performance on the three complex EF tasks improved until at least age 15, although improvement slowed with increasing age and varied some across tasks. Moreover, the different developmental patterns in the correlations between completion time and accuracy provide clues to developmental processes. Examination of individual achievement subtests clarified the specific aspects of academic performance most related to complex EF. Finally, the correlation between complex EF and academic achievement varied across ages, but the developmental pattern of the strength of these correlations was remarkably similar for overall math and reading achievement, suggesting a domain-general relation between complex EF and academic achievement.     

从基于标准的基础教育改革的视角审视课程标准和学业水平考试

基础教育课程改革本质上是基于标准的教育改革,其重要标志是颁发了各学科课程标准。基于标准的教育体系包括至少四个主要的组成要素：课程标准、教学材料、课堂教学、考试评价。改革的成功与否取决于体系中四个组成要素是否能够协调一致,而一致性调整有赖于高质量的课程标准。然而,目前我国颁发的课程标准,尚难成为基于标准的考试评价的标准,全国实施学业水平考试制度的时机尚不成熟。建议组织力量重新编制或修改课程标准,建立考试与课标一致性评价制度。