A review of assessment in early childhood education focuses on historical highlights, issues in complying with P.L. 94-142, current practices (multiscore, mulitdomain, and multimeasure processes), critical issues (specifically, the reliability and validity of instruments and procedures used), and recommended practices. (CL)

The paper reviews the methodology of quantitative documentation of the progress of handicapped, delayed, and at risk infants in early intervention programs. The authors discuss design and analysis issues, concluding that the use of several designs and analytic techniques provides useful exploration of hypotheses in early intervention programs.…

The beginnings of education and assessment for gifted students are traced, current practice summarized in terms of tests used, requirements of state legislation noted, critical issues (such as the lack of agreement about the nature of giftedness) discussed, and recommended practices identified (such as assessment through instruction). (CL)

The instructional applicability of a variety of handwriting assessment techniques is examined. Informal procedures, handwriting scales, and systematic methods used in recent research methodology are critically reviewed. For each class of assessment techniques, relevant information on validity, reliability, and utility is presented. (Author/CL)

This introduction to and overview of a special issue on social behavior assessment within schools discusses the impact of function-based methodologies on assessment and intervention practices in identification and remediation of challenging social behaviors. (JDD)

The article describes the history, current status, and the future of educational assessment for students with exceptionalities in the U.S. Current issues, including adequacy of measurement theory and assessment instruments are examined. The future role of microcomputers, item response theory, and competency testing is considered. (CL)

The article presents a critical review of procedures for analyzing coherence in written language samples. The psychological model of referential coherence, linguistic analysis of cohesion, and given/new contract are discussed in terms of research results, psychometric concerns, and writing research. Recommendations concerning their relative…

Included in the review are work samples; the Jewish Employment and Vocational Service Evaluation System; the Singer Evaluation System; the Testing, Orientation, and Work Evaluation in Rehabilitation System; and the Systematic Approach to Vocational Evaluation System. (Author)

Resolution of serious behavior problems requires individual functional assessment of the events that predict and maintain the challenging behavior and identification of contextual factors that are relevant to effective behavioral support. Functional assessment can involve review of school records, interviews, rating scales, direct observation, and…

Provides a brief review of 10 research articles on the use of computers in assessment including purposes, descriptions, procedures, and issues. Topics surveyed include using technology to assess social skills in persons with disabilities, special education technology use in mathematics, and technology use in implementing assessment models. (CR)

Terms such as "authentic,""performance-based," and "portfolio" are being used to label assessment approaches that purport to examine student performance as it relates to curricular goals and instructional techniques. This research digest reviews six articles on these assessment approaches, highlighting purposes,…

This overview of traumatic brain injuries discusses (1) incidence and prevalence; (2) characteristics; (3) the recovery process; and (4) educational/medical assessment, including premorbid functioning, current functioning, educationally relevant medical issues, and amount and type of family support. (JDD)

This article summarizes some of the limited research on early language screening of at-risk children. Results of the review indicate the vast majority of literature related to this area dealt with speech as opposed to language screening. Further investigation of formal and informal screening methods is urged. (CR)

Outlined are the weaknesses of traditional, norm-referenced tests which fail to help in making instructional decisions. Presented is a step-by-step series of operations for analyzing and categorizing arithmetic errors, for selecting corrective strategies, and for applying peer-referenced standards to judge the performance of special needs…

Reviews problems with the current movement to use national standards and performance assessment to reform education and the impact of the standards on students with disabilities. The characteristics of standards, as they are currently being employed, are discussed, along with issues related to measurement, reliability, and validity. (Author/CR)