This ERIC Digest describes the development of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress for geography and the results from that examination of geographic knowledge and skills of students in grades four, eight, and twelve. The assessment format utilized multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions. Results were reported…

More valid assessments for multicultural populations would help counseling professionals better serve their clients and improve the lives of many people whose backgrounds and experiences may differ from those of White clients. Four common misuses of multicultural contexts are: (1) assuming that labeling something solves the problem; (2) using…

Assessment use is a cornerstone of successful counseling. Information from assessments is used for making several important therapeutic decisions, requiring the counselor to have information about assessment devices and approaches. Tests are being published at a remarkable rate; it is a challenge for counselors to stay well informed. Products and…

Certification of professional counselors is presently viewed in two realms, that of state regulation and of national voluntary credentialing. This digest considers national voluntary certification. The first national certification began in 1972; in 1983 the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) began certification for general practice…

The purpose of this digest is to describe school counselors' roles in the area of assessment through an historical review of testing in counseling, and to report on study findings regarding roles employers require school counselors to perform. Knowledge needed by counselors to obtain evidence, evaluate its usefulness, and interpret its meaning…

The "Education for All Handicapped Children Act" (1975) requires that all children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. Determining who has a disability and who is eligible for special services, however, is not an exact science. While practices differ greatly both across and within states, screening is an…

This ERIC Digest suggests that traditional assessment techniques must be complemented by new methods that can reinvigorate and improve the teaching and study of history in the schools. Teachers and researchers agree that recall of discrete information and traditional forms of assessment emphasize low-level cognition without challenging students to…

The term "employability skills" refers to those skills required to acquire and retain a job. In the past, employability skills were considered primarily of a vocational or job-specific nature; they were not thought to include the academic skills most commonly taught in schools. Current thinking, however, has broadened the definition to…

This digest recommends assessing all of a person's abilities, not just some. It also discusses self-report in the context of ability assessment. Current use of self assessment methodology taps more ability areas than existing ability or aptitude tests cover. Alternative testing approaches have been called for which enhance self-discovery and…

This digest focuses on the career counseling process, specifically on the contribution of assessment procedures to career exploration and planning. Because these career development tasks are experienced by everyone, this digest addresses assessment for the many rather than intensive, problem focused career counseling. The following basic…