Traditional static tests of reading and reading-related skills offer some ability to predict future reading performance, though such screeners may misclassify children with or at risk of reading disorder (RD). Dynamic assessment (DA) is an alternative approach that measures learning potential and may be less dependent on learning background. A…

This chapter introduces theory that undergirds the role of testing adaptations in assessment, provides examples of item modifications and testing accommodations, reviews research relevant to each, and introduces a new paradigm that incorporates opportunity to learn (OTL), academic enablers, testing adaptations, and inferences that can be made from…

There is a growing concern that when scores from low-stakes assessments are reported without considering student motivation as a construct of interest, biased conclusions about how much students know will result. Low motivation is a problem particularly relevant to low-stakes testing scenarios, which may be low stakes for the test taker but have…

Demographic changes at the national level emphasize a critical need for multicultural education to be included as part of undergraduate education. This critical review of the literature examines 10 multicultural instruments that are suitable for use in K-12 or higher education institutions. This is a novel literature review in that it is the first…

Read aloud is a testing accommodation that has been studied by many researchers, and its use on K-12 assessments continues to be debated because of its potential to change the measured construct or unfairly increase test scores. This study is a summary of quantitative research on the read aloud accommodation. Previous studies contributed…

In this study, we examined relationships between the use of test results and US students' math, reading, and science performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009. Based on a literature review, we hypothesized that the 16 items in the PISA school questionnaire, which are related to the use of test results, can be…

Extended time is one of the most common testing accommodations provided to students with disabilities. It is also controversial; critics of extended time accommodations argue that extended time is used too readily, without concern for how it changes the skills measured by tests, leading to scores that cannot be compared fairly with those of other…

This chapter outlines the concept of test anxiety and its impact on performance, manners in which to diagnose and provide accommodations for the disability, and many means by which to reduce the impact of test anxiety. Overall, it bears repeating that although the concept of test anxiety is relatively simple, understanding how it affects a given…

Studies of children who initially display high rates of antisocial behavior indicate such children are more likely to persist in this behavior than those who initially show lower rates. (Author/MP)

Studies 248 adolescents who had been in a Serious Offender Program to examine the relative predictiveness of: a common risk assessment tool; a battery of psychological tests; and a combination of demographic and theoretical factors. Regression procedures indicate that the following are significant predictors: prior commitment; male; gang members;…

Describes a study designed to evaluate the performance of an experimental semiautomatic map cataloging advisor, Mapper, in the descriptive cataloging of single-sheet maps from U.S. publishers. Hypotheses tested are discussed, treatment of experimental and control groups is described, and it is reported that Mapper helped produce better cataloging…

An overview of the literature on childhood depression precedes results of a study of 192 regular class students (grades 4-6) in Alberta, Canada, in which diagnostic measures were used to predict aspects of depression. Among findings were that self-esteem and family stability variables significantly predict depression in children. (Author/JW)

What role does a person's support for local educational control play in determining her attitude towards equity-minded school finance reform? This article reports estimations of binary and ordered probit models of two state public opinion polls and discusses newspaper coverage from the same two states to determine if and how local control has such…

Reviews studies that use the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) with delinquents and criminals. Studies illustrate the ability of the CPI to measure: (1) personality differences; (2) personality typologies and classifications; (3) personality variables that predict future criminal or asocial behavior; and (4) the historical development of…

Meta-analysis of 225 hypothesis tests of measures of memory for order (MFO) and the relationship of MFO and measures of general ability demonstrate a significant relationship between MFO and standardized test scores. Fifty-one independent samples were tested. MFO task quality was a significant predictor of effect size. (SLD)