Revising Standard Tests

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 6

Revising Standard Tests

Between 1950 and 1956 the New Zealand Council for Educational Research standardised for New 'Zealand use three silent reading tests (word knowledge, speed of reading and reading for meaning) and four mechanical arithmetic tests (one for each of the four main processes) originally produced by the Australian Council for Educational Research to survey the attainment in these subjects of children from nine to 12 years. These tests have earned wide and sustained support from New Zealand teachers, and their careful interpretation has provided additional information valuable for the assessment of children’s strengths and weaknesses in the basic reading and number skills, says the Education Department. The changes in curriculum and classroom organisation which have occurred since these tests were standardised for use in New Zealand have made it desirable to check the original norms on a crosssection of present school pupils so that teachers can

continue to use them with full confidence.

The Department of Education has therefore decided, after discussion with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, to re-stand-ardise five of the six tests. The speed of reading test will not be repeated this year. Following the procedures used for the original standardisation 400 pupils will be needed for each of the eight half-year age groups from 9 yeans to 12 years 11 months to provide a representative sample of New Zealand state primary school children. The results of over 3000 pupils will be used in the actual standardisation. As the tests will be administered to complete classes a total of 7000 pupils will be involved in the present project. As far as possible they will be drawn from the schools used in the first testing. Where this is not possible, schools of a similar type have been substituted. It Is hoped to have the restandardised norms available in 1966.