Investigated the assessment views and practices of 145 school psychologists. Results indicated that respondents are predominantly behavioral and cognitive behavioral in orientation; spend most of their professional time in the public schools; and engage in a great deal of assessment, particularly behavioral assessment and projective testing. (JAC)

Describes the Reading Comprehension Interview, an individual interview procedure for gathering information about students' perceptions of classroom reading activities. Explains how it can help teachers gain insights into students' actual reading strategies. Contains a copy of the interview. (FL)

Provides an overview of the probable role of assessment in the improvement of elementary and secondary education. (Author)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has focused attention on improving the academic achievement of all students, including more than 6 million students with disabilities and requires that all students be assessed. Students with disabilities may be included through accommodations, such as extended time, or alternate assessments, such as teacher…

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), public school students throughout the country must participate in annual testing in specific academic areas and grades outlined in the law, including students with disabilities. Requiring the inclusion of all students with disabilities in state- and district-wide assessments helps ensure that schools,…

In this book, educational consultant James Cox offers a smarter way to look at data, putting test scores in context, not in isolation. Rather than focusing on last year's findings for school improvement, educators can learn how to evaluate the processes and practices that lead to those data by using a user-friendly, three-pronged framework for…

There are many reasons to align tests with curricular standards, but this alignment is not sufficient to protect against score inflation. This report explains the relationship between alignment and score inflation by clarifying what is meant by inappropriate test preparation. It provides a concrete, hypothetical example that illustrates a process…

Because of the importance of beliefs, mathematics educators need to consider ways to assess beliefs and belief change. Beliefs, because they must be inferred, can be difficult to measure, particularly with a common metric that enables one to compare individuals. Some limitations of Likert scales are identified and overcome in a newly developed…

This research document looks at: (1) the criteria for assessment and assessment methods employed by Canadian high school teachers of art, music, and drama; (2) the extent to which this data forms common categories within subject fields; and (3) comparisons and contrasts between categories derived from Canadian art teachers' responses and…

This paper provides a technology-based review of World Wide Web-based testing technologies. It suggests an evaluation framework that could be used by practitioners in Web-based education to understand and compare features available in various Web-based testing systems. In order to compare existing options, the life cycle of a question in Web-based…

A systematic analysis of student assessment data from Maine and Kentucky, using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and state and local assessment results, was conducted to address issues of measurement and attribution involved in evaluating systemic school reform. This paper (1) examines ways to cope with the challenges of…

Standard setting, when carefully done, can be an expensive and time-consuming process. The modified Angoff method and the benchmark method, as utilized in this study, employ representative panels of judges to provide recommended passing scores to standard setting decision-makers. It has been considered preferable to have the judges meet in a…

To address the issues associated with testing standards, sets of context-setting variables and technical matters associated with standard-setting are presented to assist groups or committees desiring to set standards in a systematic way. (Author/CM)

The Houston (Texas) Independent School District's plan requires that teachers demonstrate competence in four areas: (1) functional academic skills; (2) content area knowledge; (3) methodology; and (4) new technology. Proficiency-based techniques used in teacher selection and in diagnosing needs of inservice teachers are described. (PP)