In the context of developing assessment instruments in psychology, issues of standardization, norming procedures, and test reliability and validity are discussed. Criteria, guidelines, and rules of thumb are provided to help the clinician with instrument selection for a given psychological assessment. (SLD)

Reviews seven computer applications for science assessment including conventional, multiple-choice, constructed-response, adaptive, figural response, simulation, and an emerging approach to performance assessment termed solution pathway analysis. Virtually all computer-based testing systems are found to improve the quality and efficiency of record…

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is described as an assessment system that can facilitate individualized instruction and accommodate student diversity. Topics addressed include: features of CBM, its use in special education, research that extends CBM to mainstream settings, and the combination of CBM and peer-mediated instruction. (SW)

The computer can be incorporated into educational assessment at two levels: clerical work such as scoring, converting scores, administering test items, and organizing data into manageable profiles; and expanding horizons and deepening the understanding of what is important to measure and how best to measure it through expert systems and new…

This article examines special problems in assessing young blind children resulting from their great heterogeneity. Case studies are offered to illustrate the irresponsibility of applying standardized tests developed for sighted populations to blind children who have very different experiential backgrounds. Positive principles for assessment of the…

This article describes addition of a "learn a routine" procedure to functional visual assessments of children with severe neurological and physical disabilities. The procedure capitalizes on the child's interest of the moment and provides information on the child's patterns of responses, ability to accommodate to variations of a stimulus, and…

Presents a general framework for designing sampling programs that ensure cost effectiveness, and managed errors kept within known and acceptable limits. (LZ)

A discussion of the role of assessment in teaching focuses on the need to improve assessment in areas other than academic achievement, including the affective results of teacher behavior, student self-evaluation, and diagnosis of learning difficulties. The need for more explicit language for reporting achievement is also noted. (MSE)

The Association of American Medical Colleges' conference on the use of standardized patients in the teaching and evaluation of clinical medical skills is summarized, including perspectives on issues such as curriculum design, administrative concerns, faculty indifference or resistance, and logistical and financial feasibility. (MSE)

Methods for detecting copying of multiple-choice test responses are reviewed and compared with respect to their effectiveness and the practicality of their application for groups of varying sizes. Reasons why effective detection methods are seldom applied in standardized and classroom testing are discussed. (SLD)

With respect to the design of cooperative systems, issues related to the fundamental communication channels, sociotechnical factors, and task characteristics associated with collaborative work situations are reviewed. Research strategies incorporating theory-motivated design, ethnographic methods, and controlled testing methods are discussed as a…

Examined the usefulness of performance indicators in campus decision making at 20 institutions with Carnegie Baccalaureate II classification using hypothesis testing and case-study approaches. Performance measures most commonly cited as measures of financial viability were of limited use for specific policy development, but were most useful within…

Twelve African American and 12 Caucasian preschool children were administered items from the Preschool Language Assessment Instrument under standard conditions and in thematic interactions. The African American group earned significantly higher test scores when items were administered in the thematic mode, with major score increases on the more…

Describes a form of assessment called the inverted test within the context of a ceramics class where students work in groups to create test questions and then test the teacher. Addresses the students' reactions to the inverted test, the positive outcomes that resulted, and applying the inverted test in other classes. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of appropriate proficiency-oriented testing for students studying foreign languages, explaining that grammatical accuracy is of no value if it cannot be used to carry out real-life tasks as an inherent and natural activity. Presents guidelines for designing and administering tests and provides an example of a…