The application of middle school and high school curriculum-based management (CBM) to critical thinking in content areas is discussed. The article outlines essential features of critical thinking assessments, development of CBM problem-solving prompts, and examples of scoring systems. An example involving a student with learning disabilities is…

The authors of an article on staff development for general education teachers serving students with learning disabilities respond to a commentary. They stress the involvement of teachers in the development and research process on Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) and Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS). They also note independent teacher…

The sensitivity of two curriculum-based measurement procedures, maze (a modified cloze procedure), and oral reading, were evaluated with six students with mental retardation and concomitant emotional/behavioral disorders. Although teacher acceptability of the two procedures was equal, ideographic comparisons revealed oral reading fluency to be a…

Asserts that the traditional methods of assessment often fail to address the wide range of group and individual skills and processes of listening, performing, and creating that are involved in learning music. Identifies the various ways that videotaping can augment traditional performance assessment. Includes a checklist of things to do before you…

Academic assessment for students with challenging behavior is often overlooked. Confronted with a curriculum that is above or below their instructional needs, students may engage in a range of inappropriate behaviors (e.g., acting-out, withdrawal, social avoidance). In that behavioral and learning problems are reciprocal, academically related…

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an instructional adaptation (reduction of task duration) on off-task behavior in a general education classroom. The intervention was chosen following a functional behavioral assessment, which suggested that much of the off-task behavior was escape-maintained, and a curriculum-based assessment,…

British editors and authors have applied Jim Cummins' creative ideas in various settings in British schools, by using a novel technique of curriculum related assessment with bilingual children. Articles in five chapters demonstrate the flexibility, promise, and limitations of this technique. Articles include: "The Development of a Model of…

This guide, which is intended for adult basic education (ABE) practitioners in Victoria, Australia, details policies and procedures regarding the conduct of placement assessments of students entering or enrolled in ABE programs. The guide's aims are summarized in the introduction. Discussed in part 1 are the following topics: the content/purposes…

In many countries, school populations are becoming increasingly socially and culturally diverse, and delivering effective literacy programmes is becoming more challenging and complex. This book shows schools how to address difficulties with literacy learning experienced by students of diverse backgrounds, by employing strategies that respond to…

This text on the assessment of students with disabilities is divided into six major parts. Part 1, "Introduction to Assessment, Issues and Concerns," discusses the historical, philosophical, legal, practical and ethical bases of assessment and proposes an assessment model. Part 2, "Informal Procedures: Basic Tools for Teachers," includes chapters…

A project sought to improve mathematics instruction at the Winnebago Public School (WPS) on the Winnebago Indian Reservation (Nebraska) and to provide purposeful interactions between preservice teachers from Wayne State College and Native American children. WPS educators, grades K-6, improved their mathematics instructional ability by attending…

The concept of location is a first step in spatial thinking, one of the multiple intelligences and an historical and social science analysis skill listed in the California Academic Content Standards for History-Social Science. Based on what they learned in kindergarten and first grade about mapping their classroom and the playground, students…

This paper reports the findings of a study that explored the validity of curriculum-based measures of reading in order to develop a valid and practical instrument for regular education teachers as well as special education teachers in Korea. Participants in the study were 213 students from 7 elementary schools in Seoul, Korea. Of the total, 183…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the nation's only ongoing survey of what students know and can do in various academic subject areas. This report summarizes the results of the 1998 NAEP civics assessment for the nation. The results are based on an assessment of students at grade 4, grade 8, and grade 12. Students'…

The 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics assessment contained a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Each student participating in the assessment received two 25-minute sections of questions. Most civics questions measured both knowledge and intellectual skills. In addition, some questions measured…