Improving the Science and Practice of Testing: The Legacy of Oscar Krisen Buros

Abstract

This historical commentary describes formative events in the history of test reviewing as it has unfolded over the past 8 decades and recounts how the tradition established by Oscar Krisen Buros has continued and evolved since his death in 1978. The narrative provides the context in which psychological tests first appeared and subsequent concerns about their quality and claims made by their respective publishers. The discussion then recounts the test reviewing efforts undertaken by Oscar Buros to address these issues, discusses challenges faced during the early years of these efforts, and reviews the contributions of Luella Buros, Oscar's wife. Reference volumes in the Mental Measurements Yearbook series that Oscar Buros founded in 1938 continue to provide independent expert reviews of tests representing a wide spectrum of mental measurements that are used for a variety of purposes. The article concludes with a description of how Buros's mission to improve the science and practice of testing and assessment has been preserved and extended.