this study constitutes an attempt to see what language assessment literacy (lal) isfor three groups of stakeholders, namely lal test developers, lal instructors, andlal test-takers. the perceptions of the former group were derived from the contentanalysis of the latest version of the lal test, and those of the latter 2 groups wereassessed through a survey designed by the researcher. participant...

University of Tehran administers a test known as The University of Tehran English Proficiency Test (the UTEPT) to PhD candidates on a yearly basis. By definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. The validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (Roever, 2001). As Mesick (1988) maintains, if the validity of high stakes tests are not known, it might have some undesirable consequen...

A worked–out example is given to show how mathematical and educational insights can be incorporated in the structure of high–stakes K–12 math tests in a way that promotes more effective learning and better teaching practices. The example concerns symbolic skills deficits seen in students from calculator–oriented K–12 programs.

C heating is a potentially serious problem on high-stakes tests, such as the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), because it can result in under-qualified individuals receiving their Board’s certification to practice, thereby undermining the certification process. Because cheating on exams has such serious ramifications, it is important for test administrators to minimize cheating opportunities and detec...

Context. The theme of the 2003 annual meeting is "accountability for educational quality". The emphasis on accountability reflects the increasing need for educators, students and politicians to demonstrate the effectiveness of educational systems. As part of the growing emphasis on accountability, high stakes achievement tests have become increasingly important and a student's performance on su...

It is commonly perceived that increasing incentives improves performance. However, the reaction to increased incentives might differ between men and women, leading to gender differences in performance. In a natural experiment, we study the gender difference in performance resulting from changes in stakes. We use detailed information on the performance of high-school students and exploit the var...

This article defines the origin of an internet-centered language assessment (ICLA), how ICLAs are different from the other traditional computer-oriented tests, and what uses and functions ICLAs have in different taxonomies of language testing. After a very short review of computer- oriented testing, ICLAs are defined and categorized in low-tech or high tech categories. Since low-tech tests are ...

High stakes tests are defined as those tests that “carry serious consequences for students or educators.” The consequences from standardized achievement tests range from grade retention for school children to rewards or punitive measures for schools and school districts. The nature of standardized achievement tests used in these situations poses validity problems for the decisions. Numerous uni...

university of tehran administers a test known as the university of tehran english proficiency test (the utept) to phd candidates on a yearly basis. by definition, the test can be considered a high-stakes one. the validity of high stakes tests needs to be known (roever, 2001). as mesick (1988) maintains, if the validity of high stakes tests are not known, it might have some undesirable consequen...