Starting from the premise that the assessment of second language learners' competence is a must at several points during the learning process, discusses the usefulness of laboratory testing. Argues that it allows for standardized testing, facility of test administration, easy scoring, objective measures, reliability and validity of results. (MES)

The model is designed to be responsive to parent, teacher, and pupil needs in reducing the discrepancy between the problem behavior and what is reasonably appropriate for the classroom setting. Forms for detailed coding of classroom behavior are included. (Author/CP)

The mail questionnaire is seen as a risky data- and information-gathering instrument but an effective way to tap constituent attitudes. Knowing when and how to use it is considered crucial in institutional advancement in academe. Goals and objectives, design assumptions, and types of questions and response formats are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Criteria to guide classroom assessment practice are determine the extent to which assessment practices are based on tasks and activities that are representative of instructional intention and translate into specific information collection, interpretation, evaluation, and reporting procedures; address the accuracy of the assessment; and consider…

Discusses some of the major issues faced in attempting to assess systematically the effectiveness of business-communication courses (by assessing the level of improvement of students' writing competency). Discusses goals of assessment, type of test (standardized versus custom-made), guidelines for scoring, use of results, and reliability and…

This study examined the validity and reliability of four assessments, with three instruments per domain, with 103 students at residential secondary schools for the hearing or visually impaired. Domains included generalizable mathematics, communication, interpersonal relations, and reasoning skills. Data suggest the instruments are highly…

Discusses the Praxis II exam, "English Language, Literature, and Composition: Content Knowledge," a two-hour multiple-choice exam with questions on American, British, and world literature, literary terms, grammar and usage, and teaching. Suggests that knowledge of subject matter seems to be related to successful teaching, but whether…

This article suggests possible applications of experimental analyses using analogues to empirically verify results of functional assessments in classrooms for students with autism and related disabilities. Analogue assessments involve creating conditions in which antecedents and consequences are held constant and specific variables suspected to…

Asks several teachers what they have lost from their teaching or their classroom since the growth in mandated, standardized testing. Considers the ill effects of mandated testing, and names some educational essentials at risk of being lost while testing rules. Discusses what is lost in high-stakes multiple-choice testing of new teachers. (SG)

This book introduces "facilitated communication," a method of assisting people with autism to communicate by means of physical assistance in typewriting. The book is organized as a kind of a story around the author's own experience using the facilitated communication method, with examples of fieldwork using qualitative research to…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

The Test Analysis Package (TAP) consists of three microcomputer programs that edit, score, summarize, and analyze student test data. Features of the TAP system include: (1) an editor that allows creation of a student test data file without the use of a separate word processor; (2) a scoring mechanism that can score a test data file of 999 students…

This booklet is intended to help school personnel, parents, students, and members of the community understand concepts and research relating to achievement testing in public schools. The paper's sections include: (1) test use with direct effects on students (test of certification, selection, and placement); (2) test use with indirect effects on…

In Rasch terminology, two or more tests are linked when they are joined into a pool related to a single scale. When the same item calibrates at a low level on one test and a high level on a second test, it indicates that the item is low on the first test because the other items on that test are higher, and is high on the second test because the…

The Vocational Instruction, Training and Assessment (VITA) Project conducted a study to determine whether a battery of tests used with a sample of handicapped students enrolled in vocational education program(s) could aid in predicting success in vocational training. Procedures, instruments, and student samples were selected to provide data on (1)…