Developing a new assessment requires the expertise of both content experts and assessment specialists. Using the example of an assessment developed for Ontario's Colleges Mathematics Assessment Program (CMAP), this article (1) describes the decisions that must be made in developing a new assessment, (2) explores the complementary contributions of…

Principals and teachers do not use large-scale assessment results because the lack of distinct and reliable subtests prevents identifying strengths and weaknesses of students and instruction, the results arrive too late to be used, and principals and teachers need assistance to use the results to improve instruction so as to improve student…

Studied the reliability and validity of Light's Retention Scale (LRS) (H. Light, 1986), an instrument to evaluate whether a student would benefit from retention, with 93 Canadian students who had repeated an elementary school grade. Findings suggest that the LRS is not a reliable or valid instrument. Selected scale items did not predict…

An important aspect of Ontario's participation in the Second International Study of Mathematics was a comparative analysis of students' mathematics achievement from 1968 to 1982. Achievement levels remained remarkably constant. The problem of declining achievement in the United States was not apparent in this analysis of Ontario students. (LMO)

The validity of the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills is examined from the perspective that several of its subtests are highly speeded. Results show that there is very little relationship between the number of items attempted and the number correct and suggest that guessing is involved when more items are attempted. (Author/JAZ)

A model for evaluation of complex educational settings is proposed. The model covers measurement, judgment, and decision making and the related criteria of reliability, validity, and utility. A second proposed model depicts the provincial educational setting. The development of a provincial item bank illustrates the application of the models. (TJH)

The development and validation of a new instrument, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory, for assessing student perceptions of psychosocial environment in science laboratory classrooms are described. Results with 3,727 high school students and 1,720 college students at 53 sites in 6 countries support the scale's validity. (SLD)

In this article, we have examined how historical events shape the research process, even when research is carefully planned and rigorously executed. Through an examination of our experiences conducting international data collection during a three-year SSHRC funded period in which the War on Terrorism and the War in Iraq began, we suggest that…