Assessment and Evaluation on the Internet

Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

PERSONNEL EVALUATION

American Evaluation Association (AEA) [http://www.eval.org/]
The AEA, a professional association dedicated to all aspects of evaluation in a wide range of settings, offers the Personnel Evaluation Standards [http://www.eval.org/EvaluationDocuments/perseval.html]

Consortium for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) [http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/create/]
CREATE describes itself as "..a forum for...discussion and dissemination of personnel and program evaluation research, policy, and practice in education", "an international mutual assistance network", and "a professional organization for persons engaged in educational evaluation".

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PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education [http://ericae.net/code.htm]
This code has been developed by a working group of the Joint Committee on Testing Practices, a cooperative effort of six major professional organizations that has as its aim the advancement in the public interest of the quality of testing practices. The Code is targeted to the general public and states the major obligations of professional test developers and test users regarding appropriate test development or selection, test interpretation, striving for fairness, and reporting test results.

The Personnel Evaluation Standards [http://www.eval.org/EvaluationDocuments/perseval.html]
and
The Program Evaluation Standards [http://www.eval.org/EvaluationDocuments/progeval.html]
These are authoritative sets of guidelines developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. These summaries of the Standards are made Internet-accessible by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) [http://www.eval.org/], a professional association dedicated to all aspects of evaluation in a wide range of settings.

CEC Standards for Professional Practice [http://www.cec.sped.org/ps/ps-stand.htm]
The Council for Exceptional Children [http://www.cec.sped.org/] offers it standards for practitioners in special education, of which some pertain to student evaluation and the proper employment of assessment instruments.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards [http://www.nbpts.org/]
One ERIC abstract about the NBPTM reads, "Now a major force in national reform efforts, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was established in 1987 to set high, rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and practice and to certify teachers via performance-based assessments. National Board Certification, which complements state licensing, helps empower teachers through mentoring and school restructuring projects."

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PROGRAM EVALUATION

Go to Institutional Evaluation, Instructional Materials Evaluation and Program Evaluation

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Qualidata - ESRC Qualitative Data Archival Resource Centre [http://www.essex.ac.uk/qualidata/]
Qualidata, a center sponsored by The Economic Social Research Council of the University of Essex, describes itself as "an action unit" which "...aims to provide a general stimulus to the practice and standards of qualitative research, especially in documenting social science research in Britain, as well as encouraging a more active interface between qualitative and quantitative research. A key objective is to improve access to qualitative data for researchers and to promote the secondary use of such data."

Qualitative Inquiry Project [http://www.nova.edu/ssss/qualinq.html]
This project is sponsored by Nova Southeastern University's School of Social & Systemic Studies (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and features an online journal, The Qualitative Report [http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/index.html], and Qualitative Research Resources on the Internet [http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/qualres.html].

The Proposal in Qualitative Research [http://www.nova.edu/~ron/heath.html] - by Anthony W. Heath
The author, Director of Division of Behavioral Sciences in an Illinois Family Practice Residency program, offers instructions and recommendations in an outline format for the construction of a qualitative research proposal, replete with mini-bibliography.

The Ethnograph Web Site: A Program for Qualitative Research and Data Analysis [http://www.QualisResearch.com/]
Detailed description, including downloadable demonstration, of a popular software program by Qualis Research Associates for the management of qualitative data.

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REFORM EFFORTS

RESEARCH SUPPORT

American Educational Research Association (AERA) [http://www.aera.net/]
AERA is a professional organization comprised of scholars in all of the social sciences related to educational research. AERA offers, inter alia, its divisions and SIG's (Special Interest Groups), descriptions of its fourteen listservs, and its publications. Division D is concerned with measurement and research methodology and division H addresses school evaluation and program development. .

American Evaluation Association (AEA) [http://www.eval.org/]
The AEA describes itself thusly: We are an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation.

Research Evaluation Documents from the Defense Technical Information Center - by Dr. Ronald N. Kostoff [http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/kostoff/index.html]
Notable documents for principles and methods include:

The Handbook of Research Impact Assessment [http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/kostoff/handweb7index.htm]
Research Program Peer Review: Principles, Practices, Protocols [http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/kostoff/Peerweb1index.html]

Resources for Methods in Evaluation and Social Research [http://gsociology.icaap.org/methods/]
An excellent collection by Gene Shackman of resources for methods in evaluation and social research. The focus is on "how-to" do evaluation research and the methods used: surveys, focus groups, sampling, interviews, and other methods.

The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University [http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/]
The Evaluation Center is a research and professional development center for evaluation in education and human services. The Evaluation Center offers such products and services as classic publications and serials for evaluation program models and processes, a Directory of Evaluators, and the Consortium for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE) [http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/create/].

National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) [http://www.assessment.iupui.edu/NCME/WNCME.html]
In addition to its three quarterly publications, NCME publishes instructional modules targeted towards evaluators and teachers that cover discrete principles and methods of evaluation design.

LISTSERVS FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH SUPPORT

Subscribe to: AERA-D - Studies educational measurement and research methodology.
[Send e-mail to: LISTSERV@ASUACAD.BITNET with message: Subscribe AERA-D yourfirstname yourlastname (omit signature)]

Subscribe to: EVALTEN- Topical Evaluation Network on Evaluation Methodology and Statistics. Provides assistance for experimental design and analysis for mental health systems evaluation.
[Send e-mail to: LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU with message: Subscribe EVALTEN yourfirstname yourlastname (omit signature)]

Subscribe to: METHO - Methods of quantitative research in the social sciences, conducted in French.
[Send e-mail to: LISTSERV@UQUEBEC.CA with message: Subscribe METHO yourfirstname yourlastname (omit signature)]

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RESOURCES FOR INTERNET SEARCHING

The Argus Clearinghouse [http://www.clearinghouse.net/index.html]
Offers an alphabetical arrangement of guides by topics, for which the "Education" section covers a broad, but not comprehensive, range of education topics.

Yahoo! Education [http://www.yahoo.com/Education]
The Yahoo! index offers one of the most elaborated Internet indices for this topic (as well as for most others). Our patrons may be particularly interested in Yahoo's Education sections on Standards and Testing [http://www.yahoo.com/Education/Standards_and_Testing/] and Statistics [http://www.yahoo.com/Education/Statistics/].

Psychology Resources on the Net [http://stange.simplenet.com/psycsite]
A public service designed to help students and professionals interested in the science of psychology to find resources on the Internet. It is intended to be a major jumping-off point for searching out psychological information. The designers have tried to focus on psychology as a science, searching out connections to topics ranging from social and health psychology to neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

Internet Workshop Links [http://ericae.net/inet_trn2.htm]
A collection of links we have found helpful in introducing people to the internet.

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SOFTWARE RESOURCES ONLINE

SOFTWARE TO SUPPORT EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Software for Item Banking, Computerized and Adaptive Testing, and Test Construction [http://www.assess.com/testing.html] - by Assessment Systems Corporation (ASC) [http://www.assess.com/]

Report Cards Plus [http://www.rediker.com/modules1.html#ReportCardsPlus] - by Rediker Software, Inc. [http://www.rediker.com/]

Student Grade Reporting System [http://cucare.clever.net/solstar/grade.htm] - of the family of Solstar Software for Schools [http://cucare.clever.net/solstar/]

Rubricator [http://sltech.com/Rubric.html] - by Strategic Learning Technologies [http://sltech.com/]

InfoTracker [http://www.stardata-usa.com/info/index.html]
and
Portfolio Builder [http://www.stardata-usa.com/port/index.html]
by Stardata Inc. [http://www.stardata-usa.com/]

CyberExam [http://vlearning.com/cyberexam/index.html] - by Virtual Learning Technologies [http://vlearning.com/]

STATES' INFORMATION SOURCES

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS & PRACTICES

Testing Our Children: A Report Card on State Assessment Systems [http://www.fairtest.org/states/survey.htm]
FairTest - National Center for Fair & Open Testing [http://www.fairtest.org/] developed a five-point scoring guide by which it rates state testing programs in a range from needing "a complete overhaul" to being "a model system". FairTest employed Principles and Indicators for Student Assessment Systems, a 1995 publication by the National Forum on Assessment, as the benchmark for its survey and report. See this report's Introduction [http://www.fairtest.org/states/intro.htm] for the composite State Data Table; otherwise, summary and full-text reports are available for each state individually.

State of the States: Quality Counts '99 [http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc99/states/indicators/in-intro.htm]
Education Week offers the following description of its current issue of its annual series: Quality Counts '99 details the findings of an exhaustive, 50-state survey of state policies on accountability. Five indicator tables track states' programs and progress for: 1) Student Achievement 2) Standards, Assessment & Accountability 3) Teacher Quality 4) School Climate & 5) Resources.

Trends in Statewide Student Assessment Programs: A Graphical Summary [http://www.ccsso.org/survey96.html]
The Council of Chief State School Officers [http://www.ccsso.org/] and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory [http://www.ncrel.org/] conduct an annual survey to maintain their State Student Assessment Programs Database [http://www.ncrel.org/catalog/assment.htm] (description only), on which this trend analysis report is based.

GENERAL SOURCES

Standards by State [http://PutnamValleySchools.org/Standards.html#Section3]
This sub-directory of the excellent directory entitled Developing Educational Standards [http://PutnamValleySchools.org/Standards.html] is maintained by Charles Hill of the Putnam Valley School District, New York. This is a very well-organized index to Internet-available materials pertaining to K-12 evaluation standards and curriculum frameworks, especially those germane to Goals 2000.

State Education Agencies [http://www.ed.gov/Programs/bastmp/SEA.htm]
Often, individual state agencies themselves are the appropriate sources for the most current and most complete information about their respective assessment programs. This excellent directory is maintained by the U.S. Department of Education, and includes States and Territories. Alternate reliable directories are the U.S. Education Department's Educational Resources by Area [http://www.ed.gov/Programs/statelist.html] and Links to State Education Agencies [http://www.ccsso.org/seamenu.html], which is maintained by the Council of Chief State School Officers [http://www.ccsso.org/].

State Indicators in Education 1997 [http://nces.ed.gov/pubs97/97376.html]
In its description of this publication, the National Center for Education Statistics [http://nces.ed.gov/] likens it to "...a state-level version of NCES's indicator report, The Condition of Education [http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/index.html], and less like a state-level version of NCES's comprehensive data volume, the Digest of Education Statistics [http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/digest97/index.html]." The 34 indicators combine data from NCES and the U.S. Census Bureau to cover basic demographic factors, access and participation, achievement and attainment, outcomes, size and growth, classroom practices and diversity, and levels of public investment, inter alia.

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STATISTICS RESOURCES

TEST DESCRIPTIONS

The Test Locator [http://ericae.net/testcol.htm] of the Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE)
The Test Locator Service is a collaborative effort of ERIC, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Buros Institute, and Pro-Ed Publishers. The Test Locator is an online, searchable database of descriptions of over 10,000 instruments to measure a broad array of interests, aptitudes, skills, and academic achievement, pointers to scholarly test reviews, and a directory of test publishers' contact information.

Psychology Test Library [http://www.bhs.mq.edu.au/lib/testref.html]
The Psychology Department, School of Behavioural Sciences, at Macquarie University (Australia) offers brief descriptions of a broad range of psychological measures held in their library, in an alphabetical-by-title arrangement.

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TEST PREPARATION

TEST NAMES

General Educational Development (GED) Tests

General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service [HTTP://www.acenet.edu/Programs/CALEC/GED/home.html]: This official site of the General Educational Development Testing Service describes the components of the battery and the score scale, as well as a broad variety of supporting publications.

Graduate Records Examinations

GRE Online [http://www.gre.org/]: The official GRE site, by the Educational Testing Service [http://www.ets.org]

GRE Course [http://www.review.com/graduate/gre/greCourse.cfm]: Offered by Princeton Review [http://www.review.com]

TEST PREPARATION ORGANIZATIONS (commercial and non- commercial)/PRODUCTS

Kaplan Test Prep [http://www.kaptest.com] **
Kaplan offers: coverage of standardized tests and admissions procedures for a broad variety of graduate and professional programs; a free demonstration of its online GRE preparation software; and, advice on financial aid processes. Perhaps most unique is its Web Message Board which facilitates discussion forums on any of the above topics plus more. Of special interest are their on-line courses.

LearnATest [http://www.learnatest.com] **
Features a large collection of test-preparation books for academic grades (4th Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade, Catholic High School, CUNY, NYC Specialized High School, SAT, TASP 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade, ACT, Catholic High School, CUNY, NYC Specialized High School) and college entrance (ACT, SAT).

Educational Software Institute's (ESI's) Online Catalog of Educational Software [http://www.edsoft.com/c/@p4jNsXYLlAYFA/catalog.html]
From either the "Search" or "Browse" option, select "Test Preparation" for delivery of descriptive information about appropriate products for the test or purpose by grade level and by platform.

SmarterKids.com [http://smarterkids.com] **
Test Preparation for state tests. Smarterkids.com offers a wide range of products and services. You may want to check out their grade expectations page, their Gifted and Talented Center, or their page for students with special needs.

Educational Testing Service (ETS) [http://www.ets.org]
The wealth of descriptive information that ETS posts in fulfillment of its responsibility as a major test publisher merits its citation here. Test takers of such standardized tests as the SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, LSAT, and Teacher Tests should see ETS' section entitled Practice Test Questions.

FAPI International [http://www.fapii.com]
FAPI International is a commercial firm that provides an online SAT I test preparation course using blackboard software.

The Princeton Review [http://www.review.com/]
The Princeton Review is a full-service preparatory service for college, graduate school, and professional school admissions processes. It offers: information about testing companies including phone numbers, test taking problems, what's new in testing, information on college admissions, college rankings, financial aid, and career advice.

Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. [http://www.educate.com/]
This umbrella company for several customized tutoring commercial services is comprised of Sylvan Learning Centers [http://www.educate.com/learningcenters/], which pretest and posttest student clients (primary through college levels) in basic skills using a combination of Sylvan customized tests and other standardized tests to measure achievement gains. College bound students may wish to consult the Sylvan Learning Centers SAT/ACT Prep component [http://www.educate.com/learningcenters/satactprep.html].

TestPrep.com [http://www.testprep.com/]
Stanford Testing Systems, Inc., offers free, online skills development lessons and relatively low cost software for preparation for the SAT. Its TestPrep Superstore [http://www.testprep.com/superstore.html] site describes books and software packages, including those of its competitors, that are available for SAT preparation; the descriptions afford the SAT test-taker a very convenient means of product comparisons.

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TEST PUBLISHERS ONLINE

PanTesting - Performance Assessment Network is a web-based system for the distribution, administration, and analysis of professional assessments, tests, and surveys. pan is distinguished by both its wide range of products and its web-based e-testing process, representing a network of over 35 of the top assessment publishers in the world.

ACT: Information for Life's Transitions [http://www.act.org/]
American Guidance Service, Inc. [http://www.agsnet.com/]
Australian Council for Educational Research [http://www.acer.edu.au/]
Ballard & Tighe Publishers [http://www.ballard-tighe.com/]
Center for Applied Linguistics[http://www.cal.org/]
The College Board [http://www.collegeboard.org]
Consulting Psychologists Press [http://www.cpp-db.com/]
CTB McGraw-Hill [http://www.ctb.com/]
Educational Records Bureau [http://www.erb-test.com/]
Educational Testing Service [http://www.ets.org/]
General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service [http://www.acenet.edu/programs/CALEC/Out_Info_Pubs/GED_facts.html]
Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement [http://www.hbem.com/]
Piney Mountain Press - A Cyber-Center for Career and Applied Learning [http://www.pineymountain.com]
ProEd Publishing [http://www.proedinc.com/]
Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. (PAR) [http://www.parinc.com/]
The Psychological Corporation [http://www.harcourtbrace.com/Construction/tpc_con.htm]
Reid Psychological Systems [http://www.reidsystems.com/index.htm]
Riverside Publishing Company [http://www.hmco.com/hmco/riverside/]
Stoelting Co. [http://www.stoeltingco.com/]
Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. [http://www.educate.com/]
Touchstone Applied Science Associates, Inc. (TASA) [http://www.tasa.com/]

INDICES FOR TEST PUBLISHERS

Association of Test Publishers Member Products and Services [http://www.testpublishers.org/memserv.htm]

Yahoo's Links for: Business_and_Economy/Companies/Education/Testing [http://www.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/Education/Testing/]

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TEST REVIEWS

Buros Institute of Mental Measurements [http://www.unl.edu/buros/]
By providing professional assistance, expertise, and information to users of commercially published tests, the Institute promotes meaningful and appropriate test selection, utilization, and practice. Their web site features information about the Institute, articles to promote responsible test use, and guides to the usage of its major publications, Mental Measurements Yearbook [http://www.unl.edu/buros/howtommy.html] and Tests in Print [http://www.unl.edu/buros/howtotip.html]. The Buros Test Review Locator [http://ericae.net/testcol.htm#trev] is a joint project with ERIC/AE (below) which can help you identify which of the Institute's publications reference particular tests.

The Test Locator [http://ericae.net/testcol.htm] of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE)
An important component of the Test Locator Service, a collaborative effort of ERIC, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Buros Institute, and Pro-Ed Publishers, are pointers to scholarly reviews of tests and measures. You may search for citations to reviews of tests in the publications of the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, namely, Mental Measurements Yearbook [http://www.unl.edu/buros/howtommy.html] and Tests in Print [http://www.unl.edu/buros/howtotip.html].

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TESTS ONLINE

WARNING We do not endorse any of these resources and we are very concerned about the quality of some of these on-line tests. Some do not have technical documentation and cannot demonstrate that their tests are reliable or valid. Please evaluate the quality of these testing programs before making any decisions based on their use. You may find Questions To Ask When Evaluating Tests. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 4(2). [Available online: http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=4&n=2] a useful resource.

4 Tests.com [http://www.4tests.com]
Many short practice exams on-line including: High School level (ACT, AP Tests,COOP/HSPT, GED, PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, TAAS), College Exams (CLEP, TOEFL), and Graduate Exams (GMAT, GRE General, LSAT). Links to resources you can purchase.

All The Tests [http://www.allthetests.com]
A large collection of tests available on-line.

Tests, Tests, Tests [http://www.queendom.com/test_frm.html]
Queendom's free battery of original psychological tests. Their assessment tools are scored in real time online and are accompanied by extensive interpretation of scores.

Edutest, Inc. [http://www.edutest.com/]
Edutest is an Internet-accessible testing service that offers criterion-referenced tests for elementary school students, based upon the standards for K-12 learning and achievement of the states of Virginia, California and Florida.

Meta Development LLC [http://www.metadevelopment.com/]
This site presents, for a fee, eleven personality measures, the Miller Psychological Scales, which measure various constructs, including self-concept, anxiety, motivation, and depression. An overview and reliability and validity information are provided for each scale, all of which were developed by Dr. Harold Miller, a counseling psychologist and professor.

Test.com, Inc. [http://www.test.com]
Offerings are a wide range of online tests, ranging from trivia-type quizzes to creativity tests, and simulations of college admission and professional certification tests.

TestPrep.com. [http://www.testprep.com/]
Stanford Testing Systems, Inc. offers free, online scoring and skills development advice for test-takers who have already taken the sample SAT provided by the test publisher (College Entrance Examination Board). Go here to use the SAT Test Answer Sheet [http://www.testprep.com/score/scoretst.exe], which is designed to be used in conjunction with the cited sample SAT that exists in print format.

Virtual Knowledge [http://www.virtent.com/]
This commercial service, which enjoys a formal partnership with Sylvan Learning Systems, offers a line of skills assessments for preschool through grade 9 for use in the classroom or the home. For its free online sample tests, see its Virtual Test Center [http://www.virtent.com/testbottom.htm].