In this retrospective commentary on "Acceptability of Behavioral Interventions Used in Classrooms: The Influence of Amount of Teacher Time, Severity of Behavior Problem, and Type of Intervention," I first examine the concept of social validity and related measurement challenges per Wolf's concerns about consumers' subjective reactions to…

Galen (2012), critically reviewing recent research on religion and prosociality, concludes that the religious prosociality hypothesis is a (congruence) fallacy. The observed effects are not real: They only reflect stereotypes and ingroup favoritism, are due to secular psychological effects, are inconsistent, and confound (e.g., by ignoring…

This article presents the author's open letter to her students. In her letter, the author apologizes to her students for the state's narrow and deceptive standardized test. She asserts that she does not oppose rigorous testing and she understands the purpose of evaluation. A good test can measure achievement and even inspire. But, she argues that…

In this article, two professors retake the college-entrance exam and arrive at very different conclusions about its performance. Even though Christopher Harper has worked as a college professor for 15 years, he decided last winter to take the SAT and ACT examinations that his students needed to enter the institution where he teaches, Temple…

Considers three possible responses to standardized testing: Ignoring the test, embedding the test, and embracing the test. Concludes that the problem lies not in the tests themselves, but rather in how educators approach them and, more inherently, in what educators believe about them. (SG)

A plea is made for increased field studies in education. Some of the problems are outlined: time and working hours, conflicting research paradigms, interpersonal relations in institutional settings, and financial and moral support. Examples are drawn from studies in South Australia. Solutions to the problem of reciprocal…

This paper deals with six sets of concerns and suggestions that arise as attitudes toward urban teaching are assessed. The first set arises from the complexity of measuring attitudes. It is strongly recommended that critiques of attitude data be based on plausible rival hypotheses. The second set involves the identification of beliefs related to a…

Examines studies of literacy instruction in American schools during the past 10 years both in terms of the notions that guide current practice and in terms of recent conceptions of literacy. Concludes that current literacy instruction limits students. Proposes an alternative view of instruction grounded in the concept of instructional scaffolding.…

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)

In the attempts to improve teaching and learning through the use of psychometrics and its underlying science, conditions have been set inadvertently that are unlikely to encourage and support learning and self-evaluation. (IAH)

Considers how standards and high-stakes testing corrupts instruction. Notes that the cyclic nature of scope-and-sequence standards, isolated instructional practices, and isolated items on tests is a closed system that has no authentic purpose beyond the academic hallways of schools. Concludes that reading and writing are individual acts at the…

Use of portfolios and performance tasks has exponentially increased as educators seek to be as "fair" as possible, and to link measurement, assessment, and evaluation more closely to cognition, curriculum, and instruction. However, high standards of reliability and validity are equally essential in the use of "authentic"…

Discusses the gap between the perspectives and practices of (1) teachers in classrooms where writing and reading are being learned and put to good use and (2) those who test students' language competence. Considers ways to narrow this gap, including the notion of teachers acting as tester-researchers. (JD)

Describes a study that investigated the reliability, factorial validity, and fit to a unidimensional model of the Computer Attitude Scale based on pretests and posttests from 265 teachers who participated in training on classroom applications of computer hardware and software. Discussion includes computer anxiety, efficiency, liking, and…

Factors that may influence teacher academic expectations include socioeconomic level, sex, level of academic and intellectual functioning, background information, and test results. In a study conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) on teacher expectations and pupils' intellectual development, it was found that, when teachers expected certain…