Above-level testing (also called "out-of-level testing," "off-grade testing," and "off-level testing") is the practice of administering a test level that was designed for and normed on an older population to a gifted child. This comprehensive literature review traces the practice of above-level testing from the…

Item writing methods for criterion referenced tests in the cognitive domain are reviewed. The methods are classified on a continuum from informal-subjective to automated-objective. Examples of approaches to improving instructional objectives are given. Domain-based tests are derived from content specifications and five approaches are described:…

Assesses the complementary ability of childhood intelligence and learning-related behavior to explain variation in achievement outcomes. Results reveal substantial proportions of assigned grade variance explained primarily by learning behavior and achievement test score explained by intelligence. Implications for educational assessment and…

This critical review of the literature on behavioral objectives is presented in four sections: definition of a behavioral objective; the function of a behavioral objective; consistent acceptable format for constructing behavioral objectives; and the pros and cons of behavioral objectives. The literature review reveals that current findings on the…

Again today, as 40 years ago, the idea of setting standards for career and technical education (CTE) has come to the fore. CTE practitioners have learned some lessons about implementing standards, among them that there is no "standard" standard; instead, there can be a confusing variety of standards. An analysis of standards reveals that there are…

Describes principles for designing a proficiency-based course to prepare students for the ACTFL/ETS Advanced Plus/Superior level according to Interagency Language Roundtable guidelines. Proposes ways to combine grammatical and "functional/notional" syllabuses with a proficiency approach. Examines the implications of these principles for…

The question of whether performance measures may be more accurate than examination methods to assess an individual's abilities and knowledge is examined, based on a literature review. An information processing view that focuses on the internal activities of thinking and the relationship to external stimuli is considered. Information processing…

After the determination that the Principles of Accounting course offered at Herkimer County Community College, New York, had a higher attrition rate than other introductory courses, a study was conducted to develop a computer-assisted diagnostic system which could identify the learning deficiences of accounting students and prescribe corrective…

Discusses the differences between computer-assisted and computer-managed instruction (CMI), identifies the central themes running through CMI, presents a general definition of CMI, gives a functional overview of CMI, and develops definitions pertaining to CMI functions and systems. (Author/JL)

Teacher education programs in 63 New York state colleges and universities were surveyed to determine which elements of competency-based teacher education have been adopted and the degree of participant satisfaction. Results reveal that concepts such as mastery learning, criterion-referenced assessment, and performance-based measures that evaluate…

In Australia the usual evaluation of whether a student will perform adequately as a doctor is a subjective evaluation of his clinical performance, usually at the completion of five or six years at medical school. The evaluation is performed on an inadequate and uncontrolled patient sample and appears to be subject to many errors. Recent work…

Information and exercises in this two-part learning module are provided to acquaint instructors with the educational theory behind competency-based education (CBE) and to help them apply this theory in the classroom. Part I of the module discusses: (1) the defining characteristics of CBE, in which instructional processes are designed to facilitate…